Il Mio Amore
by FanfictionLuvr0914
Summary: Ever since her time in Italy, Bella couldn't get him out of her mind, no matter what she did. What will she do? Only one knows her true destiny. Will she follow her destiny? And if she does pursue her destiny, what does fate have in store for her? Horrible at summaries, please give it a chance. I do not own Twilight or its characters, I only play with them. Rated M to be safe.
1. Reflection

_**A/N: Hello! This is my first Alec/Bella story. OOC may happen, so keep that in mind please. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated. I know I'm not the best writer. If you hate my story, I'm sorry. If you love it, great! Review and let me know!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or any of its characters. I wish I was that brilliant**_

Chapter 1 - Reflection

Tonight is finally an Edward free night. I can listen to what I want to and actually think about my life. I plop down on my bed in relief and let my thoughts run.

I didn't think that my life could ever be so complicated. I mean, I was friends with vampires and werewolves, and my parents had no idea just what they've been letting their only child be around. Edward and Jake were always fighting over me, as if I was an object who couldn't decide who she wanted. I had a redheaded vampire who was hell bent on revenge and is constantly looking for ways to get to me. She seems to think that it would hurt Edward.

She would be right, in a sense. It would hurt Edward, but not in the way she probably thinks. You see I don't think that Edward truly cares about me, not as a mate should. I look at the other couples in the Cullen family, and while the male is the dominant one, they respect the female's wishes too. It's a give and take. It's a healthy relationship.

In all of the Cullen family interactions, especially those between mates, I could see a mutual love and respect. Decisions were made together for the most part, and opinions were valued. Esme, Rosalie, and Alice were all allowed to be who they wanted to be.

My relationship with Edward was nothing like what I see in the relationships of his family. Ever since he came back, Edward has been more controlling than ever. He tries to control every single aspect of my life that he can. How I act and how I dress myself are both things that are dictated by him. He would even tell me what friends I could have, what music to listen to, what hobbies to have, what I could eat and when I could eat it. He recently started controlling my sleeping habits.

Edward basically makes all decisions for me, whether I had an opinion or not. He seems to believe that since he's lived a lot longer than me, then he knows better than me on everything. And if I voice an opinion anyway, he both scoffs at me and then ignores it, or he just pretends he never heard it. The prick even sold my truck to a junkyard without my consent and is forcing me to rely on him for rides everywhere.

It's just suffocating. He treats me as more of a pet than a mate. So I don't think he truly cares about me, or wants me in the long run. And I'm glad. Because quite frankly, I don't want him for forever either, not if this is the kind of forever I was to look forward to.

Edward doesn't love me. And he would never love me, not like…

I shake my head; I really shouldn't be thinking of _him._ The brown hair, with the gorgeous eyes even though those eyes were red. When he held me back from going to Edward, I felt oddly calmer. I shouldn't have. I'm sure that if he were given the order, he would drain me without hesitation.

Maybe that's why I've just been so disenchanted with Edward. Ever since we got back, I just haven't really felt anything for him. Actually, that's a lie; I'm beginning to hate him for his treatment of me. He didn't even ask me if I wanted him back. He just sort of came back and said we were together again. And I stupidly went along with it.

It's only been a couple of months, but I already just want him to go away. Jake too, since he was just as bad, if not worse than Edward. I was tired of his mood swings and constant need to try and convince me to leave Edward for him. I don't want either of them. The one I want is in…

I shake my head again. What was wrong with me? Ever since we got back, I can't get _him_ off my mind. I can't stop thinking about what his lips would feel like. What it would be like to make love to him. To be held, loved, and protected by him. Would he try to control me like Edward? I didn't think so.

It's gotten so bad lately that it's been influencing everything that I do. Last week while researching different Colleges and Universities, I found myself looking in Italy. Just yesterday I found myself looking up Italian language courses and researching what it would be like to live in Italy. And this morning when Edward was out running errands for Carlisle, I found myself halfway through an application for an Italian University. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and sneak off to Volterra and ask to join the guard.

My phone chimed as that thought (read half-formed plan) crossed my mind. It was Alice. Oops. Hope she didn't tell anyone. I opened the message to read it.

 _I won't stop you. I'll even help you if you want._

My jaw dropped and I sat stunned before replying,

Why?

So many questions all summed up in that one word. Why would she help me? Why would she not stop me? Why wasn't she telling me I belonged with her brother? My phone chimed again a few seconds later.

 _I've seen a lot of things happen. Jazz and I need to talk to you tonight. We're coming over. Leave your window open._

I put my phone down confused. Were they mad? Were they going to convince me to stay? But if that was the case, then why did Alice say she would help me? What did she see? Maybe they can finally tell me why Jasper has been giving me weird looks whenever I come around with Edward? Or why Alice looks at me as if waiting for me to do something? And how soon was soon?

The answer came to me an hour later when my best friend climbed through the window followed by Jasper. I stared at them both as they settled themselves across from me on my bed. Each of them reached forward to grab a hand each. Just what the hell was happening? What are they planning?

Jasper sent some calm and peace my way before smiling at me, "Relax darlin' Alice and I here need to talk to you about what happened in Volterra."


	2. Truth

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or any of its characters. I wish I was that brilliant**_

Chapter 2 - Truth

"What do you mean what happened in Volterra?" I decided to play dumb for now. I wondered what they knew.

Alice let go of my hand and started pacing, clearly exasperated, "If you think about it Bella, you know exactly what we mean. But before we get into that, how do you feel about Edward? And please do not mince your words. Just be honest and let it out."

I couldn't help the resentment and growing hatred from flashing through me, making Jasper smirk as I answered, "He's a controlling, pompous ass and needs to have a reality check. The audacity he has to tell me what kind of personality to have, and to tell me what and when I can eat and sleep. Someone needs to knock him off his pedestal. To be honest I wish he'd just go away. I don't love him. I don't want him."

I could have gone on longer, if I hadn't noticed Jasper grinning like an idiot while sending me his pride and Alice staring at me with her jaw on the floor. "…Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

I looked to Alice for an answer, but Jasper spoke, "You've noticed that your relationship with Edward is completely different than you see from the rest of us, haven't you?" Despite the intonation, I knew it wasn't really a question, but a statement of fact.

I nodded, "Yeah. I have. My question is why is it so different? Am I really just a fascination or a pet to him?"

Alice sat down and took my hand again as Jasper explained, "No Bella. He is fascinated with you, and he does like to control every piece of you, but he also believes that you belong with him. He thinks he is in love with you. But he is just in love with the idea of you."

"That's what I thought. But I'm not meant for him, am I?"

"No Bella, you aren't. But I've seen the person that you are meant for. You just need to see it for yourself."

My thoughts quickly went to Italy, before I shook my head. "What do you know, Alice?"

She grinned at me and shook her head. I let out a huff of frustration and annoyance. Stupid cryptic vampire best friend.

Jasper chuckled at me before asking another question, "When you left Volterra, what were you feeling? I need you to be honest and list every emotion, no matter how small."

I furrowed my brows in confusion, but decided to just go with it, "Well… At first I was relieved. We were getting out alive. Happy…because I had you guys back again. But there was a part of me…that didn't _want_ to leave. There was a part of me that wanted to stay. At the airport I almost decided to go back. But I didn't because I figured that Alice would see and would stop me, and I told myself I was being ridiculous."

He grinned at me, "Ok. Now tell me about what you have been feeling since you got back."

"Like something is missing. I've felt…inadequate. I can never understand why Edward is so against changing me. He keeps trying to coerce me into marrying him. He even told me he'd change me if I married him. But I don't think he was ever planning to change me no matter what. And lately I've found myself thinking of someone else, and I have no idea why."

"Bella do you want to know why he doesn't want you to become a vampire?" Alice asked.

"No. My best guess was that he just didn't want me around forever."

Jasper battled my feelings of inadequacy with peace, "That may be part of it darlin'. Vampires feel a certain…pull to their true mate once they discover them. Edward doesn't want to change you because he has seen Alice's visions and he knows that he is not your true mate. But he still thinks that you belong with him, no matter what. Both he and Alice know who your true mate is. Alice just told me earlier tonight. The question is do you realize who you are meant to be with?"

I blushed, "Yeah…I can't stop thinking about him. I find myself looking up stuff specific to Italy, like Universities, and the general lifestyle there. I have a half-completed application to an Italian University. It's like…I'm being called there…is he really my mate?"

Alice nodded excitedly, "Yes, he is. As much as we all want you in our family for eternity, you belong with your mate. However, that doesn't mean that when you meet with your true mate, and go live with him, that we can't keep in touch and visit."

"Wait… You mean I won't be able to stay with you?" Panic entered my voice. This was my family. I didn't want to leave.

Jasper sent me some calm, "Trust me darlin', you'll want to live with your mate. Edward hasn't done a very good job in explaining anything of our world to you, so I will. Mating in the vampire world means that once you find your mate, that's it. You won't want anyone else. And you'll gladly do anything you can to make each other happy. Think about the wolves and their imprinting. You will be what your mate needs and vice versa."

"So…he'll let me have you guys too. You guys are my family."

"Bella he will do anything to make you happy, within reason. If you want to continue to keep in contact with us, he'll allow it as long as we don't betray his trust in us in any way. He won't try to make you give us up. However, before we say more…you need to accept him as a mate. The first step to that is to say his name out loud. What's his name Bella?"

I was worried. If I admitted it out loud, it would mean leaving my family to join his. But both Alice and Jasper say that we'll keep in contact. That I would be happy with my mate and his family. But I trusted my family so…

"Alec. But…I've heard such horrible things about him. And his sister Jane. Actually I'm unsure about all of the Volturi. When we were there…I was terrified. Add that to what I've been told about them…"

Alice cut me off, "Edward told you a lot of things about the Volturi and the guards. But he lied about half of it. He wants you to fear them, Bella. Because he knows your future is with them, and he hates that. They aren't as horrible as Edward made them out to be. But the side of the Volturi that you witnessed is their masks. They have to act that way when doling out a trial and punishment. Think about it Bella. If you were a leader, and someone deliberately broke a major rule that is punishable by death, would you be all smiles and laughter when you give them a trial and sentencing? Or would you put a hard mask on and make a point as to why the punishment is necessary? It's good to have some fear Bella. That means they are effective. Our world was in chaos and in danger of extinction before they took over. When the Volturi started ruling, our world was stabilized. You have no reason to fear them unless you break a rule."

"And Edward broke that rule by letting me find out about vampires and letting me live and stay human."

"Exactly."

"I see…so really they aren't that cruel behind closed doors?"

"Bella darlin' you need to understand that deep inside every vampire, there is an innate sadistic need. We can control ourselves, but there is always a selfish, cruel instinct under the surface. The difference between all of us is how much control we have over that side of ourselves. James let this side of himself out freely. But then you meet vampires like us who keep that part under control. For example I could be cruel and I have been a cruel and sadistic killer before. But I choose not to be now. On top of that darlin' since you are Alec's mate, there is no reason to fear him or any of the Volturi. As your mate Alec will love you, care for you, and protect you with his very life if necessary. Being his mate will gain you automatic acceptance and the ultimate protection of the Volturi."

"…I see. I guess I should at least give him a chance then. I know that a part of me loves him already, but I don't truly know him."

"Then you will get to know him."

"…How? He lives in Italy. I live here."

Alice rolled her eyes before grinning brightly at me, "Simple. Leave a note for Charlie. Tell him you had to get away from Edward for a while to think. Then pack a bag. Jazz and I already have bags in the car. We'll leave for Italy tonight."

My anxiety spiked, "Now? Why now? Why not next week or month or so?"

"Because Edward and Carlisle are going to be in Boston at a conference for the next week or so. It's best if we leave now before they can stop us."

"Oh…Edward didn't tell me. He said he was going for a long hunt with Carlisle, and wouldn't be home until next week at the earliest."

"He lied. Now come on, we don't have too much time before Charlie gets home, and I want to be well on our way to the airport by then. And before you complain about money, Jazz has a private jet, and we wouldn't let you pay anyway. Now get going."

Alice only gave me fifteen minutes to grab whatever I could and shove it into my bag, before she came back upstairs to drag me down to the car. As we sped away I could only hope that Alice was right, and I really was off to a happier life.


	3. Dreamer

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or any of its characters. I wish I were that brilliant**_

Chapter 3 - Dreamer

 _It was dark and cold. I could clearly hear my heart pound furiously, my breaths short and hurried. I was running from something, but I didn't know what that was. Where was I? I could see nothing; it was like I was just in this never-ending dark space, as if light never existed. I spun around in circles, desperately looking for a clue as to what was happening. I knew that I wasn't safe in this space, but I didn't know how to get out._

 _Hope bloomed in my chest as I saw a figure forming about ten feet in front of me. At first it was like a blinding light; I couldn't see his face. My instinct told me to run, to not feel the relief that was coursing through me that I wasn't totally alone after all. Instead I made to approach the figure. And then he stepped forward, and I froze, the relief fading fast. My instinct started screaming at me louder to just_ _ **run.**_

 _But I couldn't move; my body was frozen in fear as he began to speak, "I found you again Bella. Tut, tut. Silly girl. You should know by now that running is futile."_

" _Leave me alone, Edward. Please. Let me go."_

 _He shakes his head, looking down at me with a small smile. It might have fooled some other human girl, but I knew him well enough to know that this smile meant nothing good. "I'm afraid I can't do that love. You belong to me."_

" _You don't love me. Not like a mate should."_

 _He laughed cruelly, "Figured that out have you? But still, you will come with me."_

 _He reached for me, and I suddenly found the strength to turn and run. To try and escape from him. To run into the safety of my true mate's arms. But I wasn't going to escape. I knew this. In seconds, his arms circled around me, pulling me back against him roughly, "There is no escape, love. The sooner you accept that, the longer you will live."_

 _I continued to struggle, screaming for my mate, my family to save me. But no one came to save me. Was I really not worth saving? The thought made me pause in my struggles to get away, before I shook it off; I had to believe in them. I had to believe that they cared enough to save me. Maybe they just couldn't find me._

 _My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a rough voice in my ear, "Stop struggling Bella. The longer you fight this, the more people I kill. Your mother and Phil were the first to go. Charlie was next. They died tortuous and painful deaths. Do you really want me to continue killing everyone you care about? How about Jacob? I would love to kill the dog for even thinking romantically about you."_

 _My blood ran cold; my parents were dead because of me. Jacob could be next. The meaning was clear. Give up and allow Edward to virtually hold me prisoner, or be the reason that Jake was dead. My struggling ceased momentarily before I remembered that Jake and the pack could take care of themselves. No, he was bluffing. He had to be. No way could he take on the whole pack._

 _I struggled with renewed effort. I couldn't let him win. I had to get away somehow. I froze again as he pressed me his teeth against my neck, lightly ghosting them over my pulse._

" _No!" I screamed._

 _He turns me around, slapping my face before sneering, "Yes, Bella. You are mine, and only mine. For months I have endured your scent and resisted temptation. You are mine to bite. No one else's. I, however, will not be changing you. You will die because I drained you. Your blood is far too sweet to waste a single drop."_

 _I screamed again as he lowered his teeth to my neck, struggling futilely to get away. My screaming continued as he bit down…._

"Bella, Bella!" I opened my eyes to Alice shaking me. Seeing I was awake, she sat back and sighed in relief. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and gasping for air. It took me a few minutes to fully remember that I was in a jet, and was on my way to Italy. Tears fell as I realized that I was completely safe. Silent tears soon turned into loud sobs as the full realization set in. _It was only a dream_.

Alice picked me up and held me to her as I continued sobbing, rubbing my back in slow circles while making soothing sounds, "It's okay Bella. You're ok. It was just a dream. I promise you're safe."

It seemed like hours before I was able to calm down enough to respond, "I know. But it seemed so real. I was so scared."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head vehemently. I definitely did not want to relive it. I slowly stood up to take my own seat again, "I'd rather not, Alice. Like you said, it was just a dream. It won't happen in real life."

She looked at me skeptically before accepting my answer, "Ok. But remember, it might help. It took me 10 minutes to wake you up. You were screaming."

"Oh. How long until we land?"

She cocks her head as she listens to Jasper, and I suddenly remember that he is personally flying the jet. I don't know why I was surprised when he revealed that he had a license to. After all, having perfect recall as well as the time to learn about anything and everything you want means that you can do just about anything.

"Jazz says a couple of hours. He wants to know if you would like help going back to sleep. You need your rest."

I shook my head at her; "I'd rather not revisit my dreams right now."

Her smile looked like more of a grimace as she listens more, "Jazz says that the amount of fear coming off of you was off the charts. It was almost too much for him. He says he tried to send you some calm and peace, but it couldn't reach you for some reason."

"Oh, sorry Jasper." I hear a loud snort coming from the front of the cabin. I raised my eyebrow in question to Alice.

Her tinkling laughter makes me feel a little better, "He says you really shouldn't be sorry for something that you couldn't help. We think you are a shield, since you are immune to Aro's, Edwards, and the guard's powers, right? So maybe your shield is getting stronger, and was protecting you when you thought you were in danger, and that's why Jazz wasn't able to help you. He also says that he is sorry he wasn't able to."

"Not his fault I'm defective," I mumble.

"Not defective Bella. Extremely gifted, especially since your shield is working while you are still human."

"But I won't be for long, right?"

"No. I can already see that you are going to make one hell of a vampire."

I nodded, doing my best to smile. I just couldn't shake the last vestiges of the dream off, "Thanks, I guess. I'm scared, Alice. I don't know what's going to happen. I know you said that I'll be safe and happy with Alec, but…"

"You can't seem to get our last encounter with the Volturi out of your mind, right?"

I nodded, "But I know I can trust you when you say that they aren't truly that cruel. So I'm trying to keep an open mind."

"Sounds reasonable."

I open my mouth to speak again before a feel a wave of lethargy, and my breath quickens as I try to fight it, desperate to avoid my dreams. Alice gently makes me lay down, as she whispered reassurances, "It's alright Bella. Jazz can make sure that you don't dream this time. Sleep. Don't fight it; you need to rest."

I slowly nodded as I relaxed and felt myself drift off into a deep sleep. I only had time for a whispered, "Thanks, Jasper" before I succumbed to the inviting darkness.


	4. Arrival

**_A/N: Hello again! I've gathered a lot of followers and more favorites than I ever expected, and it makes me want to write even more, so thank you to all who added my story to their lists. So I am trying to update at least once a week, if not twice. I will also be sometimes adding in other character's POV in this story._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of it's characters. I can only wish._**

 **Chapter 4 - Arrival**

 ** _ALICE POV_**

We landed slightly ahead of schedule, and exited the jet directly onto the tarmac. The car we were renting drove up next to the staircase we were heading down, so that we could drive off without arousing any suspicion. It was a cloudy evening, but the sun was going to set soon, and wouldn't be surrounded by clouds in the next few minutes.

Jazz carried Bella from the jet, gently laying her in the backseat of the sedan. I smiled softly, knowing that my mate truly did view her as a sister. He wanted to protect her. After he lost control at her disastrous birthday party, he suddenly found it easier to keep his bloodlust under control. And really, the only reason he lost control in the first place, was because Edward sent all of his bloodlust for Bella's blood into Jasper. Jazz couldn't handle Edward's bloodlust for Bella as his singer on top of his own. I doubt even Carlisle could have.

We had decided just before landing to keep her asleep until we got to our villa outside of Florence. We purchased it the month before in anticipation of this very day. I knew even then that we would be arriving in Italy around this day. She didn't know it, but Bella had made her decision the second she started to become disenchanted with Edward.

We arrived just before midnight, and Jazz carried her in while I brought everything to our rooms. He gently placed her down on her king sized bed, before muttering something about hunting and jumping out of the window. I sat by her side for the next few hours, letting my visions tell me of her future in the Volturi. She will be amazing as an immortal. I couldn't wait until she joined our kind. Everyone else would be in for one hell of a surprise. Aro knew she was special, but he didn't fully realize just how special yet.

I lay down next to her after a while, holding her hand. I didn't know what her nightmare on the jet was about, but I had a pretty good guess. Hell would freeze over before she would be in mortal danger. Whoever was giving her nightmares would have to get through not only Jazz and me, but also through her other siblings, her mate, and the entire Volturi.

I felt the other side of the mattress dip as Jazz lay down on her other side, looking at me apologetically. I sighed, "It's okay Jazz. I get it. You're power makes you thirsty faster. And you've been using it a lot."

He reached over our sister to link hands with me, kissing my knuckles before resting our joined fingers on her stomach. "I don't deserve you. Either of you, Ally. I definitely didn't deserve Bella's forgiveness. Even after I tried to attack her, she has never been afraid of me," he whispers, trying not to wake her, "I've never felt fear from her. She should be terrified."

"Stop that Jazz. Bella loves you. She told me once that she never blamed you, not even once. She knows what happened that night. She knows what Edward did to you. She told me that there wasn't anything that needed forgiving. She knows you love her to a degree. She has always viewed you as a brother, Jazz. She trusts you."

"I know. I feel that from her every day. Bella truly is special." He kissed my knuckles again, "We should put everything away, and make her something to eat. I'll cook her some breakfast if you want to call Aro and let him know we've arrived. He'll probably want to be here as soon as possible."

I agreed, "In this case, sooner is definitely better."

* * *

 ** _BELLA POV_**

I woke up from the blissful darkness to the smell of coffee and French toast. I sat up, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. I was on a huge king sized bed, complete with a four-poster canopy. The walls were painted a purplish blue, and the trims along them were an elegant design in soft white. The ceiling had a small chandelier hanging from it. The curtains were open, revealing a beautiful countryside. There were two doors other than the exit, and they led to what I assumed was a closet and a bathroom.

I slowly stood and walked into the closet, half afraid of what I would find in there. It was surprisingly stocked with clothes that I would be comfortable wearing. It looks like Alice decided to reign herself in for the time being. My sigh of relief was answered with a tinkling laughter followed by a deeper, booming laugh downstairs. I hurriedly showered and dressed for the day, feeling more anxious by the minute as I wondered when I would meet Alec again.

As I came down the stairs Jasper sent me a flood of calm, "Relax darlin'. Everything will be ok." He pointed at the breakfast bar, which had a plate full of food on it, "Now eat."

I simply nodded before doing as I was told. I could do this. I would be happy. Halfway through with my meal, I finally managed to utter my pressing question, "When?"

Alice shifted, looking uncomfortable, before she answered, "Sometime tonight."

I nodded. Okay, I could handle that, "Who?"

She winced, clearly hoping I wouldn't ask, "Alec, of course. And Jane, Felix, Demitri, Aro, Caius, Marcus, and Renata."

I choked on my bite of food at her answer. It was a few minutes before I could speak, "Why all of them?"

"It's technically not all of the Volturi. Stop worrying Bella. They all want to meet you officially. Believe it or not, they are excited that you are in Italy again. Rumor has it that Alec has been miserable since we left Volterra."

I felt a strange pang in my chest at hearing this, "Because I haven't been around?"

Jasper came up to me, putting his hands on my shoulders before looking me in the eye, "Not your fault. You had no idea darlin'. You're here now that you know, and that's what really matters. They really will be glad to see you. Now take a deep breath and try not to be so nervous."

I took a deep breath. He was right. I was here now. I could do this. I leaned forward and hugged him, "Okay Jasper. Thanks for everything your doing for me. You too Alice. I don't know what I would do without you."

Alice hugged my back as Jasper continued his hug from my front, "We would do anything for you little sis. Remember that darlin'."


	5. Visit

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of it's characters. I can only wish._**

 **Chapter 5 - Visit**

 ** _BELLA POV_**

I spent the day forcing myself to not let my nerves get the best of me. I did everything I could to keep myself occupied. I cleaned the entire house, even though it wasn't needed. I finished reading my favorite book for the umpteenth time. I took another shower. I reorganized my closet. I even tried playing video games with Jasper, and looking at fashion magazines with Alice. As the day drew on my anxiety was getting worse and worse, to the point where Jasper had to leave for a while because he was overwhelmed.

I eventually convinced Alice to join him at the edge of the yard, where they were both far enough away that Jasper couldn't feel my emotions so strongly, but where they could still keep an eye on me. Around four I decided to try and pass the time by taking a nap. And it would help me be more awake and alert tonight when our visitors showed. It would be like killing two birds with one stone.

I tossed and turned for a while before I managed to relax enough to fall asleep.

* * *

 ** _ALICE POV_**

I waited until Bella was asleep before sending Jasper out to hunt. My poor mate needed it, as having to monitor Bella's emotional state and constantly helping her was draining him fast. It took her a few hours to sleep, and only managed because Jazz sent her a little help. I made my way inside to start preparing for the Volturi's visit. I had been searching for visions of it all day, and so far everything I've seen points to the visit going well, all things considered.

I glanced anxiously at the clock; they would be here any minute now that the sun went down. I carried Bella downstairs and placed her on the living room couch; she didn't even stir, the poor thing was still so tired. I decided to leave her asleep for the time being; she needed it, and it would give me time to say what I needed to when our guests arrived. I answered the door right before they could knock, and beckoned them inside while pointing to Bella on the couch so they would know to be quiet.

I waited until they were all assembled before I greeted them in a low voice, "Hello everyone. Thanks for agreeing to meet Bella on middle ground. She's been very anxious about this, and it's been driving Jasper off the wall. She is still unsure about all of you, so you'll want to move carefully with her. Edward's been controlling and manipulating her every move. He has very stupidly told lies about all of you so that she would be at least wary of you, and it worked. So I know you want to immediately embrace her into your family, but please restrain yourselves a little. She'll warm up to you sooner than you think. Particularly to you Alec."

Alec was looking at her like he was afraid to approach her, "What lies did he tell? When will she wake?"

"Well for starters, she's under the impression that what she witnessed in Volterra is what you guys do for fun. He told her that you all loved enjoying the torture and killing of anyone. That you had absolutely no respect for human life," Jazz answered them as he dropped down beside me, "Hey Ally." He was back from his hunt.

"So she's afraid of us. Of me."

Alice shook her head, "Not necessarily, Alec. We've managed to do some damage control and tell her that Edward lied. Jazz and I have gotten her to the point where she at least willing to give all of you a chance. She feels the pull towards you. That's why we are here. She's finally admitted to it."

"But she's human. How can she feel the pull too?"

"Yes, but she is a rather special human. She's never been afraid of my family or me, no matter what side she sees of us. I told her of my beginning, of my time in the Southern Vampire Wars. I left no detail out, no matter how awful, and she still wasn't afraid of me. Hell, even after the birthday fiasco where I tried to drain her after she cut her finger on the envelope…she still wasn't afraid of me, and still she has never been afraid of me. She didn't even blame me. She feels the pull. She knows who you are to her. Well, in theory at least. She's just nervous about the idea. Bella just needs to see the real you."

Our attention was diverted when Bella started whimpering in her sleep. I looked worriedly at Jasper, who had walked over and grabbed her hand. "How bad is it Jazz?"

"She's terrified of something in her dreams. It's like that fear your feel when you are running from someone or something because your life depends on it. I felt it every time I had to cull the newborns in Maria's army. They'd try in vain to run and escape." His brows furrowed in concentration, "I'm trying to calm her, but it's not working; my gift can't get through."

"What's happening to her? Is she awake?" Alec spoke the question on everyone's mind.

Jazz shook his head, "No, she's trapped in her nightmare. She had another nightmare on the way to Italy. My gift couldn't reach her then either."

"What's giving her nightmares? Me?"

"I'm not sure, she won't talk about it to either of us," I responded for my mate, before trying to wake her up. _Please wake up_. I couldn't stand to see her this scared.

Jazz and I took turns attempting to shake her awake, without success. Jazz says that he feels some semblance of consciousness from her, like she was trying to wake up, but couldn't figure out how. "It's like she's trapped and doesn't know how to find her way out. It's a very disconcerting feeling."

Alec suddenly appeared in front of her, speaking softly, "Isabella, my love, please wake up. Come back to us, to me. Please, beautiful. I need you." He rambled on until she opened her eyes.

* * *

 ** _BELLA POV_**

My eyes opened to find a pair of red eyes staring straight at me, inches from my face, talking to me in a soft, beautiful voice. I balked and flew over the couch, not fully processing who it was. I couldn't make myself process where I was, or who the people around me were. Part of me was still stuck in my nightmare, where Edward's newly red eyes leaned over me, intent on having his way with me. Where Victoria was helping him capture and subdue me, her eyes equally as red as Edward's from my blood. They had only left just enough to keep me weak but alive.

All I could see now were red eyes, and a couple of golden. I looked around wildly for an escape, my panic increasing when I found none that I could easily get too.

The blond one with golden eyes slowly crouched in front of me, taking my hand, "Bella darlin'? It's me Jasper remember? I need you to calm down for me ok? Breathe, Bella. Slowly. You are safe. It was just a dream. I'm gonna try to help you now."

I felt my head clear then, and the reality of the situation suddenly became clear with it, "Jasper?"

He nods, "That's right sis. It's me. You're safe. It was just a….dream."

His words stumbled as I caught him by surprise and threw myself into his arms in relief, "It felt so real Jasper. I was so scared. I woke up and I couldn't process that it was a dream. I couldn't see anything but the eyes. I didn't know that the nightmare was over, so I panicked. I couldn't… I mean…it felt _so real._ "

"Shhh darlin' it's ok. We understand. Come on," he stood and placed me between he and Alice on the couch, facing our visitors. "Bella, meet your mate and his family."

One of them approached me then, "Hello Isabella, we've never officially met. I'm Alec."

He held his hand out for me. I looked at Jasper and then Alice, both of them nodding at me, "It's okay Bella. Do it."

I hesitantly place my hand in his, gasping as I felt the electric current run through our hands where they touched. And suddenly I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted him to hold me, to protect me, to love me. I wanted to be his. I wanted to be claimed by him, and to claim him in return. But I restrained myself. I didn't want to take the chance yet. Unlike with Edward, I didn't want to just jump into things. I was too wary and nervous to do that. Having your heart ripped out and then having your spirit crushed by the same guy really put a damper on my ability to let people in as easily as I did before. I needed to know him first.

His eyes trapped mine in their captivating stare, and suddenly no one else existed or mattered. I had my mate, and he would love me, and protect me. Forever. And suddenly I wanted nothing more. Eventually I shook myself out of the stupor. I wasn't ready to admit all of this to myself quite yet.

"Jasper?" My voice came out weak.

"Don't fight it darlin'. I can feel it when you do. What you are feeling is pure mating instinct. Trust your instincts. Don't fight them. Have Ally and I led you wrong yet?" At the shake of my head, he continued, "Then give yourself in to instinct. What's it telling you to do?"

I looked down as I considered the answer to his question. Instinct was telling me to latch onto him and never let go. To claim him the best way that I could while I was still human. To have Alec change me, so we could have eternity together as mates. Instinct told me to trust him. Instinct told me to accept Alec's love. I wanted to, but I was scared of being hurt by him. Of having my heart shattered again.

"Isabella," my eyes snapped back onto Alec, "trust me. I promise I will never hurt you, as others have in the past. Let me be what you need. Let me show you what it is to be loved and protected. Let me be your mate. Please." He kneeled down in front of me and caressed my cheek softly.

I only stared into his pleading expression for a minute before letting myself fall into him with just one thought coursing through my mind: _Please don't let me regret this._


	6. Discovery

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or its characters._**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Discovery**

 ** _BELLA POV_**

Someone was shaking me, talking to me, and whoever it was, they better have damn good reason for waking me up so early. It was Sunday, and school was out, so why in the hell would someone deem it necessary to wake me up this early? Wait, it was Sunday, so that means…

"No Charlie, I don't want to go hunting this morning! It's too early and I don't feel like spending hours in the woods. Leave me alone!" I flopped over to my other side, intent on going back to sleep when I heard a series of chuckles. Wait a second…

Mortification came over me as I suddenly realized that I wasn't in Washington anymore. The night before came back to me in a rush. The nightmare and subsequent freak out episode, officially meeting Alec, Alec pleading with me to accept him, then me giving into my instincts and hurling myself in his arms. How Alec lifted me up and sat with me in his lap, arms wrapped around me as I nuzzled his neck and _purred_. Which, by the way, shocked the hell out of me. I remember sitting there and soaking in the unfamiliar sense of complete comfort and peace from just being in his arms. Somehow I must have managed to fall asleep.

I sat up quickly, half expecting to see everyone still here, but was relieved when it was only Jasper, Alec, and Alice, with Felix and Demitri. I could handle my nerves better now that it was a much smaller group of them. All of them were grinning at me. I turned a deep shade of red as I remembered what I said just a few moments before. I hid my face in my hands, refusing to look at them.

"Um Bella you are the queen of the klutzy people. Why would Charlie take you hunting?" Alice asked, trying not to laugh.

"He has a few times in the last few months…he was hoping it would help me be more graceful with practice. It didn't work. After the third time, he finally decided to give up on it for a while, and instead he settled on me at least knowing how to defend myself and shoot a gun. I actually have a concealed carry permit, so I can have one hidden on me at all times. We were supposed to try again today." My words came out muffled. I finally looked up when Jasper sent me confidence. "Thanks Jasper."

"Anytime, darlin'. I wish I had known about the hunting attempts. Would have gotten it on video." He deftly caught the pillow I threw at him as he laughed openly, "Come on lil' sis you gotta admit it would a funny sight for anyone to see."

I smiled, "I can guarantee that it was. Especially that third time when I fell into a pile of bear scat and took Charlie down with me. No wonder he gave up on me. It was disgusting. I couldn't look the poor man in the face for a week after that. And then he told his friends on the reservation, and so they all had fun picking on me for it." I laughed dryly.

I got up as silence ensued, intent on hunting down the coffee. I needed my daily energy boost. I should probably eat too, but I wasn't really hungry. I decided to break the silence as I sat back down on the couch with my coffee, "So…when did I fall asleep exactly? And what time is it?" I choked on my sip of coffee when Alice told me that it was already noon, and I had been sleeping for about 13 hours. "Why did you let me sleep that late?" I shouted.

"You needed it Bella. You haven't been sleeping well. And we figured that as long as you weren't having a nightmare, you should sleep. Alec held you most of the time, and he stayed close to you the rest of the time, so that might have something to do with it. I only woke you because I know you hate sleeping the day away, and it was getting late. You really did need the sleep Bella…the lack of sleep you've been getting has made your complexion look absolutely horrible." Alice shuddered.

Well I was wondering when this side of my best friend would make itself known. I laughed internally at the thought. "Thanks…I guess. That's the first time in months that I actually had a good dream."

This caught Alec's attention, and suddenly he was sitting next to me and pulling me into his lap, "What do you mean? Do you have nightmares often?"

Leaning automatically into his hold, I looked at him and slowly nodded, feeling an absolute need to be completely honest with him, "Every night for the past few months. Last night was the first time my nightmares were held at bay. Maybe Alice is right, and that did have something to do with you."

"Can you tell me what's giving you nightmares?" Alec asks nervously, afraid it was of him.

I was held captive by his piercing gaze. It was like he could see me in the raw, like he could see my soul. I opened my mouth a few times and closed it when I couldn't get the words out. Instead I went with a simpler, silently asked question, "Not you. You aren't giving me nightmares."

I tore my eyes from Alec when Jasper sent me a boatload of calm, peace, and confidence before saying, "Tell us sugar. What are your nightmares about? It might help you."

I looked down as I forced myself to answer, "V…Victoria." It was all that my brother needed before he understood.

"Bella?" Alice said my name questioningly, "Has Edward been in your nightmares too, particularly in more recent ones, with red eyes?"

I looked at her with tear-filled eyes, "Yeah. Last night. How did you know Alice?"

She took my hand, "I've seen things. Edward contacts Victoria sometime in the next few months. Bella, he won't be happy once he finds out what we've done. Right now, he thinks that Jazz and I are on a random, extended vacation. Once he discovers the truth, and he will, then he'll view it as the ultimate betrayal. He'll want revenge."

 _Oh shit._ "I think he already has contacted her… A couple weeks ago, I woke up a little, and I opened my eyes to see Edward by my window, talking to someone. The voice sounded familiar, though I couldn't place it. But I remember seeing red hair before I passed back out again. When I woke up a few hours later, Edward was acting normal so I just assumed that it was a dream. I didn't think he would actually…" I paused as the fear threatened to take over.

Edward wouldn't be conspiring with someone who was hell bent on killing me, would he? I didn't know. I wanted to believe that he wouldn't. I wanted to believe that he loved me and would only protect me. I wanted to believe that I was more than just a distraction for him. I wanted to believe, but deep down I knew that I couldn't.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I jumped slightly when Alec gently nudged my head into the crook of his neck. Giving into instinct this time was easier as I inhaled deeply, taking in his scent and letting it calm me. He smelled like desert, cactus, pine, and rain. He smelled like home. I vaguely heard Jasper fill everyone in on what the situation with Victoria was before everyone else made excuses to leave for a while, essentially leaving Alec and I alone to talk.

Once he felt me start to relax he spoke, "We will keep you safe my love. No harm will come to you, I promise."

I pulled back slightly to look up at him, "Really?"

"Try not to doubt me Isabella. You are my mate. Even if you decided that you didn't want me, I would die to protect you. I will be whatever you need me to be, whether it is as a mate, lover and husband, or as a brother and friend. If you are afraid of my family, or me there is no need to be. We all love you already. I know you saw a really scary side of us, but what you saw is not who we actually are. What you witnessed of us is a necessary act of evil needed to keep our kind in order. Really we are not like that most of the time."

"Alec…I'm not afraid of you. Your family, maybe a little bit but…Jasper and Alice say the same thing, that you guys are not truly evil and sadistic unless you absolutely have to be. Jasper and Alice are my family, and I trust them. That's why I'm here now. To be with you, and to see for myself who you all really are inside. Besides, I trust that you won't hurt me."

"What's holding you back, if not for fear of my family or me? Did you decide that you didn't want me, and aren't sure how to tell me?"

"It's not that…Alec, I want you. I want and need you so bad that it scares me. I want to depend on you. I want you to be the one who loves me, protects me. And it scares me. It scares me to think that if I give you all of me, to let you see me at my most vulnerable, that one day you might change your mind. I mean, look at me. I'm plain and boring. I'm nothing. You are perfect. You could have your pick of any other girl you want."

He sighed, "You don't see yourself clearly my love. In my eyes, you are the most beautiful creature that I have ever laid eyes upon. You are everything to me. You are my other half, and no other woman will ever compare to you. I want you, all of you Isabella."

I blushed when he told me I was beautiful, "Would you change me if I asked you to?" The second, silent question was a test. I really just wanted to know if he wanted me for eternity.

His answer shocked me, but made me secretly jump for joy inside. "Isabella I would change you regardless. I am a selfish bastard, and would rather face your wrath at being changed against your wishes than to face an eternity without you by my side."

"Oh…" I didn't know what else to say to his declaration.

"Do you understand the depth of my feelings for you now?"

I nodded. After a few more minutes I decided to voice my answer, "Yes, I get it now. Alec…I want you as a mate and lover. I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine."

He let out a breath of relief, "Thank you for the chance. You won't regret it… May I kiss you now?"

"Anytime," I breathed, flattered that he asked first. Edward never did.

He slowly lowered his lips to mine, pressing them gently at first before increasing the pressure. The kiss was chaste, but the electricity that jolted through me when I touched his hand exploded when his lips found mine. And then I knew for sure that Alec was meant for me, just like I was meant for him.


	7. Talk

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight series, or any of its characters. But…I do play with them.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Talk**

 _ **BELLA POV**_

A couple of weeks have passed since I first decided to accept Alec as a mate. The others had ended up leaving us alone until the next morning, giving us plenty of time to become more acquainted and talk. He managed to get me to divulge all of my fears of our mating, including my fear that he would try to control me like Edward did. He soothed my fear that I wasn't good enough with gentle reassurances. He even told me that even though instinct told him to claim and change me immediately, he would wait to claim me until I was ready for that step. I understood the silent answer about my change: he may not have a choice to wait to change me.

He in turn told me about his fears. Like the fear of being rejected by me at any point. Or the fear that I would judge him or view him as a monster because of the fact that he hunted humans. He told me that his biggest fear was that I'd be afraid of him, because of what I witnessed in Volterra. I reassured him in my own way that his fears were unfounded. My instinct told me to put my safety in his hands.

The next morning, we discussed the Victoria situation. We didn't know if my dreams were prophetic, and we didn't want to take the chance. I would be changed fairly soon, so that I was less fragile. But until then, I was given guidelines to follow, but instead of feeling smothered, I welcomed them. I knew that the guidelines were reasonable and only in place for my own safety, and not for the sake of controlling me. So I followed them readily. I made sure not to venture outside alone, and usually Alec accompanied me on my walks. I wouldn't answer the phone without Alice, Jasper, or Alec around. And my personal favorite, I never slept by myself. Usually I would just sleep with Alec holding me. I haven't had a nightmare since the first night he held me. Other than that, I could pretty much do what I wanted, when I wanted. I could be myself.

Edward called about a week ago, having come back to Forks, and demanded that I tell him where I was. He demanded that I go back to him. Needless to say, I did not give in to his demands. He threatened to find me via the GPS on my phone, and I told him to go ahead and try, while thanking God that Jasper had thought to give me a phone that couldn't be traced. He somehow worked it so that any calls to my old number were automatically forwarded to this one, without revealing the number to this phone. No one would be any wiser.

When he was done ranting at me, I told him that in no uncertain terms would he and I ever get back together, because I didn't want him or love him anymore. I then told him that he was a controlling, manipulative bastard and that the next time he gets a girlfriend, he shouldn't act like such a prick. I hung up on him then, not giving him a chance to respond. I rolled my eyes at the thought of how many times he tried calling that day, leaving angrier and angrier voicemails.

Over the last week, I've slowly been getting better acquainted with Demitri, Felix, and Jane. Jane was the one who made me the most nervous. After all, the last time I saw her was when she willingly tortured Edward with her gift, and seemed to really want to use her gift on me. Since I'm Alec's mate, for all intents and purposes she is now my sister, so I wanted to give her a chance, whether or not she scared me. Our sister relationship was…rocky at best at the moment. But I'm sure that with time, it will get better. I just need to get over my fear of her.

I felt a pair of arms wrap securely around my waist, and I leaned back as Alec pulled me into him. I was growing more and more comfortable with being his mate as each day passed. He had this knack for putting me at ease without even having to do anything. I found that the more I let him in, the more I gave in to my mating instincts, and the more I felt safe. He had been doing everything he could to help me adjust to all the changes in my life, including teaching me Italian.

"Penny for your thoughts, Isabella?"

"Just thinking about the last two weeks."

He stiffened slightly, "Should I be worried?"

"Definitely not. I was just thinking that I feel safer when you're around, and how I'm glad I decided to give this a chance."

He smiled down at me before leaning in to give me a kiss, "I'm glad you did too. There's a long way to go but…I have a feeling we will be just fine."

"Long way meaning Jane?"

"…My sister is one of the factors, of course. I don't expect you to love her immediately, I'm just happy that you are trying to give her a chance to prove that she truly isn't so cruel as you think."

"She really is a sweetheart, I can see that. But I can't get the image of her torturing Edward out of my mind. I just need time, I guess."

"Well, we do have an eternity my love," he mumbled into my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

"Yes, we do. Is everything ready to go?"

Today was the day that I move into the actual Volturi castle. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. I hadn't seen the Kings since the initial visit two weeks ago. I had yet to be officially introduced to the rest of the guard. I was also nervous about my change. I knew it would need to happen soon, just because of the fact that I was a human that knew about vampires. It would also be uncomfortable for them to have a human in the castle full time. Besides, it was the plan anyway, so that I would not be as fragile, making it easier to keep me safe from Victoria. I wanted to be a vampire anyways, whether I was Alec's mate or not.

He pulled back, "Yeah, as soon as Jasper and Alice get back from hunting, we will leave. Are you sure you are ready for this?"

I nodded, "I'm sure. I'll never be able to get over my nervousness if I don't at least try. I think the best way is to just rip off the Band-Aid, so to speak. Besides, you'll be there with me, so I know that I'll be ok in the end."

He kissed me then, recognizing the statement as what it was; a subtle declaration that I was choosing to trust him with not only my emotional state, but also my physical well-being.

"I love you Isabella."

I merely smiled at him, not yet ready to return the declaration. I knew I felt it, but a part of me just wasn't ready for it, and Alec understood that. Although…I would definitely be ready sooner rather than later…I think.

"Alec…am I going to need to be changed really soon? I mean, I know it was the plan to be changed soon, but how soon?" Would I have time to have a few more human experiences?

"I'm sorry love, but yes. Your human status is making some of the others nervous, and if it gets out that we are allowing a human who knows about us to live, then a rebellion may form. We don't exactly have a lot of fans. I really wish we could wait until you were ready for it."

"Alec, I'm ok with it really. I knew it would need to happen one day soon, just not this soon. But if I need to be changed even today, I can live with that. I just have a couple of conditions."

"Name them, and I will be sure that they are granted."

"Good, because I want you to be the one to do it. I want your venom running in my veins." I held up the wrist that was bitten by James, "And I want you to replace this mark with yours."

A brilliant smile graced his face, dazzling me momentarily, "I would be honored. You are my mate and as such my venom will run through your veins." He grimaced, "However delighted I am, I do not wish for you to go through the pain. Will you allow me to numb you with my gift, if I can somehow get through your shield?"

"Of course. I wouldn't force you to watch if you can help. Besides, even if your gift doesn't help, then I will survive anyway. Just 3 days of excruciating pain and then an eternity with you and my family."

He held me closer, inhaling my scent, and purring at the peace and comfort it gave him. "An eternity," he mumbled his agreement.

"My family will be a while. I need a nap, will you lay with me and hold me?"

"Of course, my love. You do not need to ask."

We lay on my bed together, basking in each other's presence while we waited to leave. I dozed off and on over the course of a few hours before Jasper and Alice were calling up for us to head to the car. Alice handed me a sandwich and chips that she made for my lunch, which I ate quickly before snuggling back in Alec's arms. The comfort of Alec's arms plus the soothing motion of the car soon lulled me into a deep sleep, and dreams of our future.


	8. Meeting

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight series, or any of its characters. But…I do play with them.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – Meeting**

 _ **BELLA POV:**_

The car ride to Volterra was entirely too short, in my opinion. Even though I slept the entire way, and in Alec's arms, my nerves faded into my dreams and I woke up with tears on my face, and worry on Alec's.

I blushed profusely, "Um…Did I talk at all in my sleep?"

Alec shook his head, "Are you ok? Talk about it?"

"I'm fine. Just a dream. Really. I'd prefer not to talk about it yet."

He just gave me a small smile and a chaste kiss. "Whenever you are ready, I'm here." That's one of the best things about Alec. He doesn't push too hard. He knows when to back off. And he kisses like a God, even when the kisses are chaste. We've gotten into some heavy make out sessions that always leave me wanting more. Soon. I would be ready for _that_ soon. How soon though?

We pulled into the parking garage of the castle, and Jasper parked in the visitor's lot. My nerves increased as we stepped out of the car, made obvious by my traitorous heartbeat. I didn't want Alec to know just how nervous I was, but my heartbeat was making it annoyingly obvious. Alec pulled me into a hug, giving me a few minutes to regain my earlier composure. He leaned down and nuzzled my throat where my pulse was, and purred, and almost instantly I was calm again. I nuzzled my face into his chest for another minute before I felt ready to face his family. He would get me through this, I knew.

"You don't have to do this today," he murmured, "I could take you straight to my room, and we don't have to see anyone until you are fully ready Isabella."

I stood back and shook my head, "I'm ok, really. It's just; when I was last here…it was actually a bit of a traumatic experience… It's my natural reaction. I'm sure that if new memories are made, then they will eventually replace the old ones. I need to do this, Alec. The longer I wait for this, the more nervous I'm gonna get."

He studied me for a moment, "Are you sure?"

"Completely. Right Jasper? What are you getting from me?" I turned my head to see my brother, "Based on what you feel from my emotional state, would you say that I'll be fine once it's done?"

He touched my hand for a minute, assessing me more closely before nodding, "Yes. And if you need help, I can send you calming waves, ok?"

"Great. See Alec, I'm good to go. Just needed a moment."

He smiled at me before picking me up, "Come on then. Lets take you to be officially introduced, and then we'll get you settled in our room. Sound good?"

I nodded my assent and he took off, with me in his arms, my family following closely behind. I closed my eyes and buried my face into his shoulder, causing a low chuckle to vibrate from his chest. I would never get used to the speed as a human.

In mere seconds we were in front of a tall set of double doors, and I looked up at Alec in confusion; these were not the double doors that we went through last time.

He smiled at me before explaining; "We thought that you might be a little more comfortable meeting them in a different setting than the throne room. We can go in there when you feel more comfortable with everyone." He paused to throw open the doors, "Welcome to our library my love."

I walked in slightly behind him; jaw dropping as I looked around in awe. Shelves and shelves of books lined the walls, there had to be thousands of them, and in the center of the room there were many different chairs and couches for reading. I could live in here and never want to leave. In the middle of the assorted chairs and couches, Aro, Caius, and Marcus sat regally, each in the process of putting down their books at our entrance.

Aro's face lit up and suddenly he was inches from me, and I took an involuntary step back. Hurt flashed across his face before he smiled again, "Isabella my dear, I do apologize if I startled you, I am just very happy that we finally get to meet you again. My dear girl, please forgive us if we scared you when you visited us last. We truly do not enjoy displaying that side of ourselves, but sometimes it does become necessary. Please do come in and sit down dear," he continued, gesturing to the chairs laid out in front of his, "Come sit with us and of course Alec and your siblings may join us."

I slowly walked over to the chairs, sitting awkwardly in the center, with Alec and Alice of either side of me before I responded, "Um…hi." _Well, way to go Bella, what a way to sound stupid._ I tried again, "It's um…nice to meet you again?"

Alec chuckled before wrapping an arm around me, "Relax mio caro, just breathe and relax." I leaned into him as he continued, "Aro, I would like for Isabella to stay in my room, if that is possible. We have spoken and right now it will be where she may be most comfortable."

"Of course Alec. You are mates and therefore shall not be separated. Now, Isabella, you already know who we are. However, for the sake of formality, allow me to introduce my brothers and myself. I am Aro, and my brothers are Caius, and Marcus. Marcus and I are brothers by blood, and Caius is a friend whom we view as a brother to us. Isabella, Marcus has expressed interest in adopting you as his daughter. He feels a very special connection to you."

I glanced at Marcus as they waited for a response. He looked hopeful, which was a major contrast to the last time I saw him. Could I accept him as my father? But what about Charlie? No one could replace him. But…Charlie can't know about this world. He won't be able to know about me. I would lose him the second I am changed. I'd have to fake my death. Having Marcus as a father figure might help ease the pain of losing Charlie.

I considered for another minute before making a decision, "That'll…be fine. My human father… he tried so hard to be there and be a good father. But I never truly lived with him until I was 17, and the poor man had no idea how to adjust to having a hormonal teenage girl under his roof. He spent so long living as a bachelor, that when I moved in with him, it threw his entire routine into chaos."

Marcus smiled at me gently, "Thank you my dear. I will do my best to live up to the kind of father you want. Tell me your favorite memory of your human father, and I will make sure you remember it after your change."

I deliberated for a moment, "Well, it's embarrassing but…I'm normally not really emotional or unpredictably moody. One particular week of every month, that goes out the window. Poor Charlie…"

Alice cut me off, "Are you talking about the time when he slipped chocolate, pop tarts, and a coke in front of your bedroom door and ran down the stairs screaming that he fed satan?"

"…You saw that, did you?" My cheeks turned redder than a tomato.

Alice giggled and Jasper smirked at me as she answered, "Yep. I told the whole family too. It was hilarious Bella. You were a lot worse that cycle that normal. Even Emmett was wary of you. Poor Charlie."

I covered my red face; "Well I'm glad it was good entertainment for you. I didn't think I was that bad. Can we change the subject now? Please?"

I glared up at Alec, who was trying to hold in his own laugh, "I'm sorry my love. I'm not trying to make fun of you, but the image that created is hilarious. I'm kind of curious to see how bad it could be myself."

I groaned, "You really don't want to know, trust me," I told him as I leaned up for a kiss. I sat up a little more as I turned back to Marcus, "As embarrassing and mortifying as it is, that memory will always be my favorite."

Alec brought me closer to him as he changed the subject, "Aro, how long do we have before Bella has to be changed?"

I stiffened for a second before forcing myself to relax. I wanted to be changed, so there wasn't a point in worrying about when. In the grand scheme of things, when it would happen was small and insignificant.

Aro sighed heavily before answering, "We would like you to change her by tonight if possible. Isabella, is that acceptable? We'd wait a little longer but rumor has started getting around in our world about the human who knows the secret."

I nodded, "I'm fine with that."

Aro clapped his hands together, "Well! That's that then. Alec, you will take Isabella up to your room and change her when you both feel ready for it today. My brothers and I unfortunately have some business to attend to now, so if you could excuse us."

We watched them leave through the doors, Marcus pausing to wish me well through my change and telling me he'd see me in a few days.

Jasper and Alice stood then, preparing to leave. My panic swelled up for a few seconds before I shot it down. Jasper noticed of course, and drew me into a hug, "We need to leave right now too darlin. But we will be back before your change is complete. We just need to do a few things. We won't ever abandon you again, ok? Trust us darlin."

I nodded into his chest and he squeezed me one more time to release me into Alice's arms. She simply squeezed me once before letting go, "You're going to be an amazing vampire Bella. We'll be back, ok?"

I nodded before walking back into Alec's arms. "I'll see you guys soon. I love you."

Alec scooped me up into a bridal hold and before I knew it, we were in his room, and he set me down gently to explore. The room was massive. He had the room decorated with blues and blacks. The giant 4-poster bed was outfitted with dark blue curtains, and the comforter and sheets were the same color. He had a large flat screen TV and every game console I had ever heard of. The bathroom had one of those huge showers where water sprayed from multiple showerheads. The tub could easily fit 4 of me. His closet was half the size of the bedroom; his clothes on one side, and my clothes had already been put up on the racks of the other side. There were more than I had packed though, so someone must have gone shopping without me. I walked out of the closet to see Alec standing awkwardly by the door, as if he was nervous about my reaction.

"It's cool. I like it," I say simply.

He nods, "I had the room completely sound proofed for you. You can't hear anything outside these four walls, even with vampire hearing. I have a desk for you on the way, since you like to write. You'll have a new computer and writing materials waiting for after you wake up too. Is there anything you'd like to change or add?"

I shook my head, "It's perfect Alec. Thank you, you didn't have to do all that for me, but I am glad you did. I have you. I have my family. That's all that matters."

He smiles finally, "I'm glad you like it…when would you like to be changed?"

"The sooner the better I suppose. When do you want to change me?"

"I could do it now," he answers, caressing my cheek, "Is there anything you would like to do or ask before I bite you? Maybe eat your favorite meal? Watch a movie? Anything really. Just ask and it will be done."

"I'm not hungry Alec," I shook my head, making a spur of the moment decision, "But…if it's not too dangerous for me…. If you think it would be safe enough and you had the control for it…would you make love to me first? It's one human experience I would like if it's possible. I'm still a virgin. And I want to give myself to you." I looked down on my feet, afraid of his answer. What if he said no?


	9. Loved

_**A/N: So…This chapter has a small lemon in it. If it sucks, I'm sorry, I tried. I've never written a lemon before, and I didn't want to be too graphic, but I didn't want to just glance over it either, so I tried to find a happy medium between the two. Hopefully it isn't too bad.**_

 _ **Also, for those of you who favorite/followed/reviewed, thank you. It really encourages me to write more and faster.**_

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 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight of any of its characters. I wish.**_

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 _ **Previous Chapter…**_

" _The sooner the better I suppose. When do you want to change me?"_

" _I could do it now," he answers, caressing my cheek, "Is there anything you would like to do or ask before I bite you? Maybe eat your favorite meal? Watch a movie? Anything really."_

" _I'm not hungry Alec," I shook my head, making a spur of the moment decision, "But…if it's not too dangerous for me…. If you think it would be safe enough and you had the control for it…would you make love to me first? It's one human experience I would like if it's possible. I'm still a virgin. And I want to give myself to you." I looked down on my feet, afraid of his answer. What if he said no?_

* * *

 **Now…**

 _I can't believe I just asked him that. Of course it's too dangerous. Does he even want me like that? I know we are mates, but…well he's perfect and I'm just…plain. I could never compare._

I heard him sigh, "Isabella, look at me." He waited until I slowly lifted my head to meet his gaze before he sighed again, seeing my insecurities in my eyes. "He really did a number on you, didn't he?"

I didn't need to ask whom he was talking about. I could only nod, and he continued, "Isabella, I will never reject you unless I feel that you are in no condition for it. As for how safe it is, I will admit that it is a risk, however I am willing to try, if that is what you truly want. I would never knowingly hurt you; so I believe that we will be able to successfully make love before you are changed."

"Really? You want me like that?"

"You do not see yourself clearly. You are a very desirable woman Isabella, and Edward was an idiot for not wanting to even try. No one will ever compare to you. Understand?" He continued at my nod, "Good then. Now, I agreed to try, so would you like to start now? Or would you like a few human minutes first? We could even wait until this evening if you like."

"Would it be easier if you hunted first?"

He shook his head, "I'm fine. I hunted just before I came to pick you up this morning. I won't need to hunt again for a couple of days. But I will go hunt really quick if it makes you feel better. Do you trust me enough to keep control even if I don't hunt?"

I looked at him, horrified by his question, "Of course I trust you Alec. I know you won't put me in known danger. I just…I know it can be uncomfortable for vampires to be around me and not drain me. I've been told that my blood smells more appetizing than most humans. I didn't want you to be uncomfortable. If you say you don't need it, then I believe you. And since you don't need to hunt, if you want to start now we can."

"Good. Before we begin, you must promise to tell me if I accidently get too rough with you. Vampires are very primal and possessive by nature, and we often give in to our instinct if we are safe from discovery. You are my mate. So my instinct will tell me to establish my dominance over you, mark you, and establish that you are mine. My instinct will only be focused on the claiming, Isabella. I cannot promise that I will be as gentle as I need to be, with your human status," he paused to grab a device with a single, large button in the center and setting it on the nightstand, "So when I get too rough and accidently hurt you, I need you to tell me immediately. Yell it at me if you must. And if that doesn't snap me out of my claiming frenzy, I need you to press this button. It will alert Jane to the trouble, and she will come in and use her power to stop me."

I flinched involuntary at the mention of Jane, "But I don't want you to be hurt."

His eyes bore into mine, "Promise me Isabella. Yes her power will hurt me, but that's better than me accidently killing you because I lost my control over my instinct. _Please,_ Isabella. Promise me."

I nodded, appeasing him, "I promise Alec. But I trust you. You won't hurt me. And if you mark me, then it's just as well because I'll need to be changed anyway…would you feel much better if I was changed first? Then you wouldn't need to worry so much."

He considered for a moment, "It would help me worry less, yes. But you said this is something you want to experience as a human my love, and I would like to at least try."

I smiled up at him, "You are a good man, Alec. No matter what I've been told. I am happy that you are my mate."

His only response was to kiss me deeply, with more urgency than his previous kisses. It was rough, possessive, and yet sweet at the same time. It was a kiss that promised what was to come, a kiss that was filled with love and lust absolute _need_. It spoke of his desire to make me his in every way. And I welcomed it eagerly, wanting nothing more than to be his. To belong only to him.

I barely noticed as he lifted me up and carried me to the bed, without breaking the kiss. His hands roamed up and down my body, groping somewhat roughly, as he pressed his erection into my core. I gave a small moan when he growled and my hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.

When he pulled away from the kiss abruptly, I looked up at him to see pitch black eyes. His instinct to either feed or claim was showing. It should have scared me. But this was Alec, and I could also see fear in his eyes, fear that he would lose control and hurt me. I caressed his cheek and tangled my hand into his hair as I soothed him, "It's okay, baby. I'm ok. I trust you."

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and continuing the kiss, his hands roaming more softly this time. His hands were steady and sure as he slowly stripped off both sets of clothes, giving me plenty of time to change my mind. The room was filled with sighs and moans as he continued to caress my body, his fingers stretching and preparing me for him.

Before I knew it, he was poised over me, seeking permission to enter me with his eyes. I nodded my reply and he slowly sank in until he reached a barrier. He murmured an apology before ripping through it, causing me to let out an involuntary whimper of pain; it had hurt more than I thought it would. He kissed away the few tears that had slipped out, murmuring apologies as he stayed still, waiting for me to adjust to the intrusion.

After a minute I opened my eyes again, to see the worry in his. I leaned up to kiss him, whispering for him to move against his lips. He hesitated before slowly pulling out and thrusting back in, setting a pace and rhythm that drove me crazy for more, and my hips began to match his thrust for thrust. It was slow, sweet, and sensual that was mixed with rough caresses as his claiming instincts tried to take over.

I didn't know how much time had passed, and I didn't care. It was me, and it was Alec, and we were in this bubble filled with love, lust, and need, and anything outside of it mattered little. And when we both finally reached our orgasms, I felt the invisible string that connected us grow in intensity. Like the chaining and binding of our souls was more permanent. I was his, he was mine, and now the entire world will know it. Nothing could tear us apart.

Alec kissed me one last time before pulling out and moving to hold me while I continued to gather my bearings. The orgasm that had ripped through me was intense, and I was still coming down from the high. It was a while before I managed to turn and face him, snuggling into his chest, "Thank you, Alec. That was beautiful, and I'm glad I was able to give myself to you so completely before my change."

He squeezed me tighter before getting up to go into the bathroom. After a few minutes he walked back out, cradled me into his arms and carried me into the bathroom. He carefully placed me into the bubble bath, giving me a small kiss, "I'll be back in a moment, Isabella," he told me before zooming back into the bedroom. He was back and joining me in the tub before I could fully process that he was gone. He held his arms open for me, smiling at me nervously. I rushed into them, eager to be held by him. It was a few moments before he could speak, "Thank you Isabella, for your gift to me. Even if you do not remember today after your change, it will be a memory that I will always cherish. I love you my sweet girl."

I lifted my head and smiled up at him, "I hope I remember. You too gave me a gift today. You made me feel loved, wanted, and I am grateful to have your love. I am happy that you are my mate. You are a kind, wonderful man with a heart of gold. I love you, Alec. I have for a while, but now I'm ready to admit it. I'm in love with you, and I won't ever let you go."

He froze momentarily in shock before smiling and giving me another kiss. This one was pure, making silent promises to love me for as long as I wanted.

We sat in the bath until the water started to get too cold, and the sun was setting. We stepped out after bathing one another, and I let him dry me off before getting dressed in loose fitting clothes. I lay on the bed as he leaned over me. It was time.

He looked at me for a moment before he spoke, "Isabella, I will love you for all eternity. I hate that I am going to be the reason for the pain you will feel. Hold on to my love for you, and I will do my best to try and numb you with my gift." He gave me a lingering kiss before continuing; "I will be biting you from your neck, your wrists, ankles, and knees. I am also going to bite your chest right above your heart, as it will only strengthen our bond even more. The more venom I can push into your system, the faster the change will be. I'm hoping so at least. Are you ready?"

My nerves increased and I could only nod. I wanted this, despite the pain I will feel. He smiled and kissed me once more before he leaned down and I felt his teeth pierce my skin. I felt nothing for a moment, but then a whimper escaped my lips as the fire began to course through my veins, and my world went black.


	10. Alec

**A/N: Hi! So sorry I haven't posted in a while! Life just got in the way, and I finally had time to type up another chapter! I am posting two chapters this week. Hope you enjoy!**

 **If you have followed, favorited, or reviewed my story, thank you! It really does inspire me.**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. Unfortunately**

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 **Chapter 10 - Alec**

 **Alec POV:**

I sat next to Bella, holding her hand as she went through the change. It had been 38 hours since I first bit her. I hated that she was in this much pain. I almost couldn't finish initiating the change when I first heard her whimper. But I knew I had to. This pain was necessary and unavoidable, if she truly wanted to become like me.

My throat burned with thirst; making love to Bella and then biting her without draining her made my need for blood more urgent. I knew that I should hunt, but I couldn't. My gift only reached her when I was touching her. And even then, it only took the edge off; she still whimpered in pain at times. Still, if it helped her even a little, I was glad. I would gladly suffer from the burn in my throat if it helped her suffer the fires of the change less.

My mind drifted to when I made love to her. I was shocked when she asked me to make love to her. It saddened me when I realized that she didn't believe herself worthy of me. Hopefully, when she is a vampire like me, she will overcome her insecurities. If not, then I will just have to remind her again of how beautiful and amazing she is. And again. And again. Until she believes it herself.

I almost lost my control three times. She only caught on to it the first time. The second time was when I entered her, purging her of her virginity. I kissed her tears away to distract myself from the fact that she was bleeding, whispering apologies. The third time was when our orgasms hit; I nearly marked her right then and there. But I somehow I resisted the urge, and instead pulled out to lie beside her until she could form coherent thoughts again.

After she came back to me, I got up to run her a hot bath. She was sure to be sore after our activities. The hot water would help soothe some of the muscles that should be aching by now. I hated that I wasn't able to be gentler with her. I wish I could have refrained from being that rough with her. But the bleeding, the sound of her heart, and the fact that she was not yet a vampire officially marked as my mate, it all became too much and my urges to claim and mark her were too strong. I barely resisted them, and as a result, I was too rough with her.

When the bath was full, I picked her up and set her down gently before telling her I would be back. I used my speed to change the sheets and throw the other ones into a bin to throw out later before I joined her and opened my arms to her.

I was nervous of her reaction to me, after seeing me struggle to not mark her. After I grabbed her everywhere hard enough to leave bruises. She didn't show fear at the time, but I was afraid of a delayed reaction. Would she see only the monster inside of me, or would she still trust that I was in control of myself? The relief I felt when she let me hold her in the bath was overwhelming; she wasn't afraid of me.

I destroyed the evidence of our lovemaking right after I bit her, opening the windows to get rid of the scent and throwing the sheets into the fireplace to burn. If Demitri or even worse Felix had gotten a whiff at the smell of our union, they would tease both of us mercilessly. While I was used to it, I would not subject Bella to their teasing. I would not let them embarrass her if I could help it.

I hope that once she is like me, she won't be afraid of my sister anymore. She wouldn't admit it out loud, and might even be denying it to herself, but it was obvious to everyone that she feared Jane, if only a little. I couldn't blame her though, not after the display she witnessed months ago. She is warming up quickly to Dem and Felix, the oafs that they are, but she is still very hesitant to be alone with my sister. I hoped that would change soon.

I was brought out of my musings when I felt the hand that was holding hers was being pushed away from her slightly. I made to grab her hand up again, only to encounter an invisible barrier. Perplexed, I glanced up to look at the rest of her to see what looked like another barrier, this one a transparent blue in color slowly rising up her body, moving to cover every inch of her.

I panicked and yelled for Aro as I watched it encase her, and slowly sink into her until it appeared to be only a thin film of some substance. Once again I tried to grab her hand, to stroke her cheek, and then just to touch her _somewhere_. But the barrier held firmly in place, and would not allow it. _What the hell?_

Aro walked in swiftly, looking alarmed at my frantic shout for him, "What's wrong my son?"

I pointed to Bella, "I was holding her hand. And then suddenly I wasn't. When I tried to hold her hand again, there was a sort of invisible barrier preventing me from touching her. And then this transparent barrier encased her, and sank into her. That barrier is a transparent blue. And now I can't touch her at all."

Aro looked thoughtful for a minute, "I see. Were you using your gift on her?"

I nodded, "I was trying to. And I was able to, to an extent, but only when I was touching her. My gift only took the edge off, though. But I can't use my gift if I can't touch her. I don't want her to suffer more than she…"

A soft, melodic voice interrupted my worried rant, "Relax, Alec. Bella is and will be _perfectly_ fine. Everything is happening as it is supposed to."

I looked over to see Alice Cullen standing in my doorway, Jasper slightly behind her, both of them smiling at me. "What do you mean? What have you seen?" I winced as Jasper glared at my sharp tone, "I'm sorry. That was rude. I'm just worried."

Alice merely grinned even bigger, "I always have to be careful of what I reveal and when. If I reveal too much… then one might be tempted to change the outcomes by changing their decisions, and nine times out of ten, it always results in disaster and angst. If I reveal too little… then one might not take the correct path. It's a precarious balance to keep."

"Alice dear, what can you tell us about this?" Aro asked. He too was worried about his niece.

"Well…" she paused, smiling to herself, "I can tell you that Bella will be different from most of our kind. She will be VERY powerful. She will have more than one power, although I cannot reveal all of them. We are witnessing her shields now. I know that she has both a mental shield and a physical shield, which is what we are witnessing right now. Alec, look at her. I mean, _really_ look at her."

I did as she said, staring into her face, and it took me a moment to see what I needed to: she looked peaceful. She wasn't scrunching up her face in pain anymore. It was then that I realized that she had stopped whimpering too. "She's not in pain. Yet I know she is still changing from her heartbeat."

Alice grinned at me once more, "Exactly. She is enough like us right now that her shields have gotten stronger and started working at a fuller capacity. They are protecting her from the pain. They will be able to do more than that once she learns to control them."

"Fascinating!" Aro exclaimed right next to me, "Alec, your mate is simply fantastic! I can't wait to see what else she can do. Of course, we must wait until she is able to control her thirst and emotions before we learn to control her gifts."

"Can you reveal anything else?" I was desperate for as much information as I could get.

She shook her head, "Only that you should get everyone in here soon. She will wake in a few hours."

"But it hasn't even been two days!" I was flabbergasted.

The pixie merely winked at me, before skipping out of the room shouting, "Different from most of our kind, remember?"

I did remember. Once again I sat beside her, and Aro, the man I've come to look up to as my father, sat on her other side as we awaited the final signs of her change. Soon enough the others started trickling in, intent on being here when she woke up. Felix and Demitri were the first to show with their mates, Heidi and Chelsea. Marcus and Caius followed not long after, with my sister trailing in their wake. To my surprise Jasper and Alice came in with two unfamiliar faces, one grinning like a maniac and the other…looked happy enough I guess. From their golden eyes I could only assume that they too were a part of the Cullen family. I couldn't help but wonder if I needed to keep an extra eye on them. Aro seemed to think so too, since he subtly read their minds under the guise of shaking their hands and introducing himself.

Her heartbeat increased, going faster and faster, signaling that the end of her change was almost here. I quickly moved off of the bed to stand with my family. As a newborn, she would be disoriented, and at first, view everything as a threat. We would approach her slowly.

We stood in silence, listening to her heart beat faster, increasing in speed as the minutes crept by, before suddenly stopping with one last _thump_. We watched as she took a deep breath in, freezing as she detected our scent. She sat up quickly, eyes wide open, taking in everything, staring at all of us. We gave her a few moments before Aro spoke, "Isabella, my dear, welcome to the family. You are one of our kind now. You are simply stunning. Do you remember who we are?"

Slowly, she nodded, "I… think so…"

"Can you tell us who we are? Do you remember who is who?"

I stared at her, mesmerized as she looked around the room, naming people as her eyes landed on them, earning a few chuckles. My world stopped as her eyes landed on mine, and instead of my name spilling from her lips, she emitted a low, predatory growl before uttering one word, " _ **Mine**_ _"._

I smiled at her slightly, holding out my hand to her, "That's right Isabella. Just as you are mine, I am yours. Come to me?" I waited for her to approach, for her hand to grasp mine. I pulled her into my arms, and nuzzled her neck as she nuzzled into mine.

The others began attempting to approach her, intent on officially welcoming her in to our family. As they did, her demeanor changed, and she turned feral, growling at anyone who came too close, especially the females. She was staking her claim; I couldn't help feeling smug.

I tried to warn Jane, who kept inching closer, to stop. She was worried for me, I knew. She was not mated yet; she had no idea why Isabella was growling and acting like she was. She would never understand until she found her own mate.

Jasper stopped her, a hand on her shoulder, "Darlin' I wouldn't if I were you. Bella is feeling the full power of her mating instincts right now. On top of that, she is a newborn. She won't recognize that you are only Alec's sister, and therefore not a threat. We need to give them space. Your brother will be perfectly safe."

My sister merely nodded before fleeing the room. I felt bad for her. She was jealous, and not used to not approaching me whenever she wanted. The others left silently, and Alice was the last out the door, sending me a wink before shutting it with finality.

Bella looked up at me, "Mate."


	11. Burning Mate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters**

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 **Chapter 11 - Burning Mate**

Burning. Fire. I was on fire. Flames licked every inch of my skin, every organ, vein, and bone. It was excruciating, and for a while there, I wished that it would just kill me already. I don't know how long it was before I became aware of exactly why I was in so much pain. Because Alec was my mate, and he bit me, he changed me. I was becoming his equal. Nothing made me happier than that moment.

The venom spread through me, destroying every flaw, destroying any imperfection, destroying anything that made me essentially human. It was turning me into a deadly, powerful being; a creature that I knew was sure to be beautiful. I knew that when I woke, gone would be the meek, clumsy little Bella; in her place, would be a lethal, beautiful, strong, and graceful Bella. In a way, on top of Alec, it made the excruciating flames worth it. I couldn't wait.

I felt a hand squeeze mine, and I knew that Alec was there. Trying to use his gift to take away my pain. I managed to stop screaming, and mostly managed to not whimper so much. I would never tell him that his gift didn't work at all, like he thought it did, even if only a little. No, it was merely feeling his presence, his love through our connection. I love him. I know this. And he loves me. He didn't try to change any part of me; instead he accepts me as I am. He wants an eternity with me. And for me, that was enough. Spending eternity at his side.

Power thrummed through me. I felt it pulsing through me, wrapping every part of me as if in a lover's gentle embrace. Suddenly the pain was gone, and I was wrapped in some sort of cool bubble. I watched the flames lick around me, wherever they could reach. For a second, I thought that the change was finally over, but then realized that my heart was still beating. No, not yet, but maybe soon. So I lay still, safe in my bubble, and watched as the flames slowly began to recede towards my center. Finally, they only surrounded my heart, and my back arched as it took its last few beats, as if it was flying away. Then, silence. My heart was still. The flames were gone.

After a moment, I breathed in, and a myriad of scents registered, some familiar, and some strange to me, and I realized that I was not alone. I sat up before I even thought about the action, and my hackles rose. There were about twelve others watching me. Vampires, I knew. My senses told me that much.

It wasn't until Aro; the one with long, greasy-looking black hair stepped forward and began to speak to me that I remembered where I was, "Isabella, my dear, welcome to the family. You are one of our kind now. You are simply stunning. Do you remember who we are?"

I nodded, slowly. It was beginning to come back to me, anyway. "I… think so…"

Then he asked, "Can you tell us who we are? Do you remember who is who?"

I slowly looked around the room, letting my eyes take in every detail of the people here. I suddenly remembered not only who everyone was, and who he or she was to me, but also that I gave him or her nicknames. My eyes landed on twiddledee and twiddledum, "Demitri and Felix." Chuckles erupted, but I ignored them.

My eyes moved to their mates, who I had not officially met yet, so my mind dismissed them, and I moved on to the short blonde, "Jane." I shivered involuntarily before trying to smile at her, and remember that she would not harm me. I remembered her ability, and our first encounter, though, so it was hard.

Next my eyes landed on a set of four people with golden eyes that set them apart from everyone else. Two of them I was surprised to see here, and I wondered at the reason for a moment before deciding that I didn't care, they were here and that was that. I looked at them a minute longer before naming them,

 _Beautiful blonde bitch._ "Rosalie."

I grinned at the next few,

 _Brother bear._ "Emmett."

 _Big brother._ "Jasper."

 _And stupid cryptic vampire shopaholic best friend._ "Alice."

Laughter erupted out of the room, confusing me for a moment before I realized that I must have said the nicknames out loud, including my nicknames for Demitri and Felix, judging from the chuckles that I heard earlier. _Oops._

My eyes moved past the others in the room, and I named them, careful to not even think of the nicknames as I did so. The kings would probably not like theirs. My eyes finally landed on the last one in the room, and suddenly a possessive, primal feeling coursed through me. My growl was low, predatory even, as I stared into his eyes. I knew this person; I knew that he belonged to me, " _ **Mine.**_ "

He merely smiled at me and confirmed my statement. He was mine, and only mine. I did not yet mark him, but that was something that would be corrected as soon as possible. I went to him when he beckoned, and began nuzzling his neck, and letting instinct take over. I growled at anyone who came too close, especially the females. At that point, I didn't recognize the females; to my predatory mind, they had come to steal my mate away. Not. Happening. Until he was marked, I didn't want anyone near him.

I vaguely registered one of the males speaking, before sensing that everyone was leaving the room, much to my satisfaction. I waited until the door closed before looking up at Alec, "Mate." My voice was rough, and low, and I knew it sounded possessive.

Before he could respond, I crashed my lips roughly against his, roughly ripping his clothes off with my own. I had only one thing on my mind: mark him; let him mark me in return. The others needed to know that I was his, and he was mine.

Our lovemaking was rough, primal and ultimately _glorious._ He was really holding back before; if we let ourselves go this much when I was still human, I'd be dead. He allowed me control first, allowed me the dominant position, until I finally bit him at the junction of his shoulder and neck for all the world to see. Then he established his dominance over me, over and over again, marking me near the end. With his mark, I felt the invisible string that tied us together grow in intensity once again. We lay still for a while until morning, with my head resting on his chest as I curled into him and his arms wrapped around me.

I understood now. This must be how he felt every time he saw me. The need to mark your mate was an extremely difficult instinct to fight, "I get it now Alec. How did you manage to fight off the need to mark me right away? I couldn't. It was so strong. It was all I could think about, was to mark you and claim you as my mate."

He chuckled breathily, "Centuries of practice, my love. You are brand new to being a vampire, and therefore cannot be expected to know how to control your every instinct. I have been what we are for centuries, and so I have had plenty of practice with my self-control. And now we don't need to worry about fighting the instinct."

"Oh… thank you, Alec. I really am happy that you don't have to hold back anymore. It probably wasn't pleasant for you to ignore your instincts; especially with the multiple times I hugged other males before I was officially marked as yours. I didn't realize how much it could drive you insane with envy and…worry."

"It was worth it Isabella. Every moment was worth it. I'd suffer through the pits of hell if it meant you were happy."

I smiled into his chest, "Yeah, I'm starting to get that now… I wish I understood that earlier. My doubt in your love must have hurt."

He squeezed me tighter, "Yes, it hurt. However, I understood your hesitance with me. I understood that you didn't want to be broken again. But, it is in the past. We have eternity together, Isabella. What matters is that you understand now: I could never harm you, be it physically or emotionally. I will always want and need you. And I will do everything I can to keep you safe."

"I…"

I was interrupted by a knock on the door, and the faint scent of a female drifted through the door, causing me to growl possessively again. He was mine and only mine. Alec chuckled as he got up, dressing before he answered the door. Standing on the other side of the door was Jasper, with Alice in tow. She grinned widely at me before bursting past Alec to envelop me in a hug, "I'm so happy you are one of us, now!"

I giggled, "I'm glad too. What did you guys need?"

"Well… Aro is getting antsy about officially welcoming you. And… you haven't hunted yet."

I was suddenly glad that I couldn't blush anymore, "Yeah… I was kind of preoccupied."

Jasper laughed as he answered, "Don't be embarrassed darlin'. We understand."

"Thanks, brother."

Alice giggled before whispering in my ear, "Don't worry, at least you held out until you were alone in the room with him. Jazzy didn't even want to do that. I had to use my gift to avoid being taken in the middle of town until I could lead him to a secluded spot in the woods."

"HEY!" Jasper shouted indignantly. He smiled softly at our giggles before continuing, "Bella, you need to decide if you want to hunt humans, animals, or both."

"I… I don't know." Alec hunted humans. My siblings hunted animals. I wanted to make both happy. Could I kill a human? Well, if I thought about it, it wouldn't be so bad if the human was evil, would it? I knew that animals would never fully satisfy me too. But my vegetarian family did it, so I could, right? But what would Alec want me to choose?

Alec sensed my distress and soothed me, "Whatever you choose will be fine, my love. As long as you can be fed, I'm happy. Maybe you should try both?"

I thought about it as I dressed in the bathroom. I could try both, I supposed. I could be choosy in what human I drain, and I could hunt animals whenever I couldn't find a suitable human. I came out of the bathroom once I was presentable, "Okay. I'll try both then. But when I go hunting for a human… it has to be a criminal. Like serial killers or rapists. Or a drug addict. Or someone who abuses women and children. The lowlifes of society, basically."

Alec smiled at me, obviously pleased that I wasn't giving up hunting humans altogether. Pulling me into his arms and planting a light kiss on his lips, he said, "I've never thought of that before. None of us have. I think… it's a great idea. You should tell Aro, he'd want to hear this one, I think."

"Really?" I looked up at him.

"Yes, really."

I grinned up at him, "Ok! Lets go tell him then!" He only nodded before taking my hand and leading me out the door, with Jasper and Alice a few feet behind us.

Moments later we entered the throne room, where the three brothers sat. The rest of the guards were standing around in quiet clusters, conversing as quietly as possible, so as to not disturb the kings.

All conversation stopped as we walked in, and I was enveloped in hugs and congratulations from everyone.

Aro beamed when he saw finally got his hug, "Isabella, at last! I trust that you and Alec have managed to establish your marks on one another?"

I nodded. _Thank God I can't blush anymore._ "Yes, we have."

"Good! Good! And has dear Alec taken you hunting?" A flash of anger crossed his face when I shook my head, and he turned to my mate, "Alec, please explain why you have not taken your newborn mate hunting yet? It is a very irresponsible thing to do. I _have_ taught you better that that. It's been hours since she woke up. She has to be feeling an incredible amount of thirst by now. It's quite painful to be that thirsty, if you remember."

I shook my head again, regaining Aro's attention, "Actually, I feel fine. Really, I don't really feel an urgent need to feed. Besides… I was a bit preoccupied up until a little while ago."

Laughter ensued throughout the room. _Glad to be of entertainment._

Aro looked at me in disbelief, "But Isabella dear, you are a newborn. Newborns are typically crazy with thirst, and blood is always on the forefront on their minds, above nearly everything until they are a few months old. They are ruled by their instincts…" He paused for a moment, as if he was collecting the rest of his thoughts, "Alice was right. You are different from most of our kind."

"I told you so…" Alice piped in, obviously smug at being right.

"Different? Is…is that bad?"

Alec wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my back flush against him, "No…. no it isn't bad at all, my love. It's just something that we have never seen or heard of." He turned to Aro, "Master, Isabella has come up with an idea concerning our hunting of humans."

"Oh! Fantastic! Lets hear it!" He jumped up and down, like a child in a toy store at Christmastime. I briefly wondered if he was secretly just a really tall child when he was turned, glad that he couldn't read my mind.

"Well… I was thinking that hunting humans wasn't a bad idea if we hunted the lowlifes and terminally ill. Abusers, rapists, thieves, serial killers, drug addicts, and the like. Maybe even drain those who wish to commit suicide." I looked down, suddenly nervous again.

Aro lifted my chin, a look of glee on his face, "That my dear Isabella is a wonderful idea. Remember when you were told that we do not kill humans for sport? We simply do what we need to survive. Human blood makes us stronger beings and our senses keener than animal blood does, and as the law enforcers of the vampire world, we need to be at our best. We shall all do our best to follow that guideline here. Now, I know you don't feel the need quite yet, but I'd much rather you hunt sooner than later. But first," he pulled me into a hug again, "welcome to our family my dear."


	12. Hunt

**A/N: Surprise! Its another chapter just a day later, and this time its a longer one. Hope you enjoy!**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight series or any of its characters. I wish.**

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 **Chapter 12 – Hunt**

 _ **BELLA**_

Running at vampire speed was… exhilarating. Exciting. Freeing. It was so many things that it was simply indescribable. _It was the best feeling in the world._ For the first time in my life, or existence I should say, I wasn't awkward and clumsy. I was beautiful, strong, powerful, and utterly graceful. I couldn't help the small giggles that escaped at the unbelievable speed I was going.

As I ran through the woods between Volterra and the next town over, I finally began to appreciate my new, stronger senses. I could see _everything._ Every detail of every object, down to the last string of a spider web twenty feet in front of me. I could hear a stream about a mile to the east, running with fresh, cold water. I could hear the animals as they walked the paths of the forest that is their home. I could hear the others–––Alec, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper-–– running beside and behind me, respectively. I could smell the leaves on the trees, who knew that every tree smelled completely different? I could smell the burning of an abandoned, leftover campfire about a mile to the west.

Alec kept stealing glances at me, his smile growing wider with every giggle that passed my lips. Everything was just unbelievably _clear_ to me now; I honestly don't know how humans can actually live with such limitations to their senses. Not only do I get to have the enhanced senses, but I would also get to live forever, and to share my eternity with my mate.

"Ok, this is good. Stop, now."

I stopped at Jasper's quiet command, awaiting his next instructions. It had been decided that I would hunt animals first, and later, after the sun set; Alec would take me to another city so that I could try to hunt a human. I couldn't wait for that, since it would be just Alec and me; I would finally get him to myself again. So while we waited, it was deemed a good time to teach me to hunt animals. I think Emmett was the most excited; he pulled me aside earlier and begged me to bag a bear. I just laughed and nodded at him, telling him that I would try.

Alec took my hand, squeezing it in a silent show of support before letting it go again. It was time to set me loose.

"Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and concentrate, now what do you hear?"

I did as he said, taking a moment before answering, "There are about 30 heartbeats altogether, in every direction. About a mile north of us, half mile on either side of us, and a couple of miles south of us."

Jasper smiled, sending me his pride, "That was…more detailed than I could have given, but that's good. Now take a big whiff. What do you smell?"

Again I followed his instructions, sniffing in the direction north of us as I became curious at Emmett's obvious excitement as he focused on it. My mouth watered at the smell, "A mix of animals. Mongoose, I think. Hares too. There are a few wild cats, two male and one female, and a pregnant lynx. But north of us smells the best. Judging by Emmett's face and child-like excitement…bear?"

They all chuckled as Emmett shouted an indignant, "HEY!" at my teasing.

Jasper continued grinning as the laughter died down, "Good, Bella. Now, close your eyes again, draw a deep breath in, and let yourself go. Let your instincts guide you."

I closed my eyes, and in a flash, I was headed off to find the bear. I registered the others holding Emmett back from following too close vaguely; my mind was on the hunt. I located the bear quickly, and proceeded to wake it up, making it angry. I found that I enjoyed the fight that the bear put up, trying in vain to defend his life. I let it take a few swipes at me before moving in for the kill, snapping his neck, and draining him quickly. I moaned as the hot liquid slid down my throat, and I wondered if making the bear angry first made the taste better.

When I was done, I dropped the bear, looking around before spotting the others standing about 50 feet from me, watching me in fascination and awe. "What?" I asked.

They only continued to gawk at me, making me feel on edge, and it was a few minutes before Alice took pity and explained, "Bella… that was… the way you took the bear down…it was…"

Wow. Even Alice was at a loss for words, and that was saying something. "What, did I do it wrong?"

She shook her head quickly, "Not at all! You were perfect! Literally! I mean… you don't have a drop of blood on you. Most newborns are so messy that most of the blood ends up on them, not in them. Even Emmett, who has been doing this for decades, can't hunt without making a little mess. How do you feel?"

"Great, actually. That was fun. And the bear didn't taste as revolting as I thought it was going to be. I remember you guys telling me that animals tasted horrible, but you hunted them anyway. I actually like the taste."

Emmett cheered, "That's great baby Bells! Looks like we've got another bear lover in the family."

Jasper elbowed him, "Don't get ahead of yourself you dolt. She hasn't tried anything else. I'm confident that she will like wolves the best."

I laughed at Emmett's pout, letting my eyes drift to my mate, who had yet to say anything. He was looking at me with black eyes, showing both his lust for me, and his thirst for blood. I immediately felt guilty. He needed to be fed too, but we had to wait until tonight. It couldn't have been easy watching me feed. Unless… "Jasper, Ally, Emmett? Do me a favor and go ahead and head back to the castle. I'll be fine here with Alec."

They immediately agreed and began to run back. Jasper stayed back and gave me a knowing look before sending me peace to eradicate the guilt I felt. I gave him a grateful smile and sent him my gratitude as he turned around and ran off with a wave. I waited until they were well out of hearing distance before letting my eyes land back on my mate, "Alec? Are you ok?"

He gave me a short nod, and I frowned before standing in front of him, running my hands over his arms, "You're thirsty. You haven't hunted since the morning you changed me, have you?"

He shook his head at me, replying in a rough voice, "No. I couldn't bring myself to leave you. I wanted to hunt with you."

"But now you are hurting. We are hunting together tonight remember?"

He gave me a small, pained smile, "Yes. I won't have to wait long. I can wait."

"No."

My reply startled him, "What?"

"No. You are not waiting for eight more hours. There is a human about ten miles to the west, hiking where he should not be hiking. I want you to go feed on him. I'll go with you."

"Isabella…ten miles? How do you know that? No vampire has ever been able to sense anything that far…ever."

"Well, I can. I don't know how, Alec. It's not like I can hear his heartbeat or smell him…but still I know that he is there. I can _feel_ it in the earth. I just _know._ "

He considered my reply for a moment, briefly muttering about Aro and a guy named Eleazer before he snapped out of it, "I will wait, Isabella. I would like to keep to your idea of only hunting the immoral."

"But…" He stopped my protest with a kiss, so I decided to try another tactic, "Then at least drink from an animal this once. Just for something to tide you over."

A wicked gleam entered his eye, "Will you take one down for me? It's a sight that I would love to see again." His voice was deeper and husky. His eyes darkened with lust.

"Gladly. Any special request?" I asked breathily.

"Something you can piss off enough to fight," he stepped closer as he spoke, only stopping when we were just barely touching.

"Coming right up."

I sniffed the air, darting off when I found a scent that seemed suitable. I found my target within minutes, another sleeping bear. The creature was about to get a rude awakening. I paused to make sure Alec had caught up to me before proceeding to wake the slumbering animal, and playing with him longer than necessary; if Alec liked watching me wrestle with a bear, then I would be sure to put on a show.

I got bored after another ten minutes, and snapped the creature's neck, beckoning Alec to come feed. He sauntered over slowly, a smirk on his face. He kept his eyes on mine as he fed, filled with love and lust and absolute relief as the blood soothed the burn in his throat. He dropped the carcass when he was finished, and walked to me slowly, seductively.

I whimpered with need when he grabbed me by my hair, pulling my head back before crashing his lips to mine, forcing his tongue into my mouth as he kissed me thoroughly, leaving no corner of my mouth unexplored. It was a while before he pulled back, "Damn love…that was the sexiest thing that I've ever seen. You are…simply amazing. Maybe there is something to hunting animals. I wouldn't mind watching that over, and over, and over again."

"Alec…" I breathed. I needed him. His breath fanned over my face, and I couldn't think of anything else except for how I was going to get him out of his clothes.

He saw the desire in my eyes and chuckled in amusement, "Soon, Isabella. Not yet. Wait until tonight. After I teach you about hunting humans tonight, we can give into our desires as much as we want."

I nodded and pulled out of his arms before sitting down, "I can't seem to help myself around you. Everything about you…your scent, the person that you are, the way you look at me…the list goes on…it all drives me crazy with need. I find myself having a hard time controlling myself around you. I always want to just _touch_ you, to feel your touch on me, whether it is sexual in nature or not. I can't stand to be away from you, no matter for how long. Is that normal?"

He sat behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, "It's because we are true mates. Also, we are newly mated. It will always hurt in some fashion when we are apart. It is most painful when a pair is newly mated as we are. Usually though, as long as we are within the same area, like say the castle, where we can easily monitor one another, we will be fine. As time passes, though, we will be able to stand being further apart up to a certain amount of time. For now, the best thing we can do is continuing as we are. The masters will not separate us for missions for a while."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Isabella."

We sat there in silence until nightfall; both of us content to just _be_. Time ceased to hold meaning; we weren't rushed to leave our little bubble. There was nothing to be said. Instead there were kisses, and silent reassurances of the other's love. He played with my hair, and I sighed contentedly. Occasionally I would turn to nuzzle into his neck, making him purr, and he returned the favor, making sure to nip at his mark at times, causing me to give a small moan each time. I couldn't wait until we could finally give into one another.

The sun had set and we were finally heading to a city far enough away from Volterra where suspicion wouldn't be raised. We arrived and immediately began to stalk the alleyways. Somewhere, there surely had to be a monster of the human variety.

We didn't have to wait long before we came across a couple of guys bragging about their victims to one another. We stayed hidden for a while longer, listening, as they held nothing back. I growled quietly as my anger bubbled to the surface; one of them had raped a little girl. I would be happy to make sure he couldn't hurt anyone else.

I was brought out of the red haze when Alec whispered in my ear, "Are you ready, Isabella? Are you ready to see how a vampire gives in to his or her true natures?"

I nodded, eagerly, and he chuckled before continuing, "Then follow my lead."

He stepped out of the shadows, with me copying his moves at his side. We waited until the drunken idiots noticed us. Immediately they dismissed Alec, a fatal mistake on their part, and began to leer at me.

"Well looky here… We got ourselves a pretty one. Hey sweetheart, why don't you dump the little boy and come hang with us instead? I'm sure we can show you a good time."

Alec stayed quiet, silently motioning for me to answer. I couldn't keep the disgust from my face, "No thank you. My boyfriend is more of a man than you will ever be."

The idiot scoffed at me, "That's impossible. Come on babe, I promise that we will show you a much better time than he ever can. I promise we will make it worth your while," he slurred before daring to step closer to me.

I shook my head, stepping back, "I wouldn't do that if I were you…"

He laughed, reaching out to grope me, "Oh now, it wasn't a request in the first place. I always get what I want."

I smirked, glancing at Alec for my next cue. My mate stepped up, an evil grin spreading on his face as he crossed his arms, "Fight me for her."

My head snapped to him in shock before the realization came in that this was how he played around with his prey. Both men charged at him, both overconfident in their ability to get rid of Alec. I watched in fascination as he played with them, letting them get a few punches in, breaking their hands in the process.

He looked at me briefly, nodding imperceptibly, telling me to move in for the kill. I quickly grabbed the pervert who dared to grope me, and Alec zipped over to the other man, who had started to run away, and sank his teeth in, drinking deeply. I covered the mouth of my victim, who had begun to scream in terror, finally realizing that we weren't human.

I drained my victim, reveling in the power and life force that I felt flow into me. I dropped him just before Alec finished with his, grinning at me. We quickly threw the bodies into a dumpster, ripping out their throats to hide evidence of our bites.

And suddenly I was being pressed up against the wall as Alec kissed me hard. I kissed him back eagerly; intent on showing him exactly how much I enjoyed this hunt. How much I enjoyed watching as he played with the men, every bit the predator he was. How much I enjoyed watching him drain one. Somehow it was highly erotic.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, gasping as I felt his arousal, pressing myself further into him, desperate for some kind of release.

He broke the kiss, growling in my ear, "You. Are. Mine."

"Yes. Yours." I agreed easily, knowing that he didn't like me being touched by the human.

He kissed every inch on my neck that he could reach, growling in my ear between kisses, "Do you realize how incredibly arousing it was to watch you feed as the human struggled?" He pressed his hips into mine as he said this, and I whimpered again with need.

"Alec _, please_." What I was begging for, I wasn't entirely sure. All I knew was that I needed him, needed friction, needed release, and I didn't care how he gave me that, as long as he did.

He grinned and stepped back, chuckling at my protests, "Soon, my love. I do not want to take you in public, where others can stumble upon us and see you naked. Soon, I promise that all your needs will be fulfilled once we reach our room tonight."

We stood there for a few moments, while I tried to focus on anything other than getting my mate out of his clothes. He was right; we shouldn't do this in public. It took me a few minutes before I could respond, "Ok. Then lets head back. The sooner we get there the better. And then neither of us are leaving that room for at least a couple days."

He let out a laugh, "That sounds good to me. Now come on Isabella. First we shall report your hunting success to Aro, and then we shall lock ourselves up in our room for however long you like."

I took his hand and together we ran back to the castle that became my new home. We reached the throne room in record time, both of us eager to be alone together. We reported our success to Aro, who seemed oblivious as we stood there impatiently. Well, I was a lot more impatient for his dismissal than Alec, but whatever.

It seemed like forever before Aro dismissed us, and soon we were locked in our room, where the only sounds were the shredding of clothing, the breaking of furniture, the possessive growls and the passionate cries of the two occupants.

The door stayed locked and we didn't emerge for days.


	13. Emmett

**_A/N: Just a little bit of bonding time and clearing the air with Emmett and Rose! Enjoy_**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or any of its characters. I wish.**

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 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 13 - Emmett**

 **Bella POV:**

"Baby Bells? Can we talk?" Emmett knocked on our door, interrupting my reading; Alec had gone to spend some time with his sister, at my insistence.

I put down my book, and opened the door, "Sure Em. Let's go hunting, and find a spot to sit and talk afterwards."

He mumbled his agreement, his smile never reaching his eyes. Hunting was quick and efficient this time, and Emmett was subdued, causing me to worry.

I waited until we were sitting on a boulder that I had found before confronting him, "What's wrong Em? You aren't normally like this."

He stayed silent for a while, increasing my worry, before he took my hand into his, playing with my fingers, "It's nothing bad, little bear. It's just… when Jazz and Alice called and told us what was going on I couldn't believe it. For a while, it was hard for me to truly believe and accept that Alec was your true mate. I thought that if he were, then you never would have left him behind in Italy. But then Jasper convinced me to come and see it for myself, and I have. I see the way he is around you, and the way you are around him, and I knew that it really was true. He's good for you, Baby Bells. Even I can see that. Also, I didn't want to believe that you would have to leave the family to become a part of your mate's family. You're my baby sister. I don't want to lose you."

"I know Em. It took a while, but with Alec, I never doubt my own worth. He worked so hard to get me to see that he wouldn't want anyone else. At first, I was so afraid that he would leave at some point like Edward did." I held off commenting on his second statement, for now.

His expression darkened, "Edward, the golden boy. I hated him for making us abandon you like we did. We never wanted to leave. I tried to fight the decision, but as Carlisle is the Coven leader, we had to follow his word in order to keep the coven together. And when we came back, you tried to keep your distance. I understood that you were afraid of getting too close again, but it kills me that while you still view me as your big brother, it just was never the same between us. And I should have apologized sooner. I'm sorry Bells."

I hugged him, "I understand, Em. I forgave you all a long time ago. I would have loved to be a part of your family. You will always be my brother. But…. Edward always made me feel like I wasn't enough, because he was always trying to change the person that I was. Do you know what he said to me when you all left?"

"He told us that you understood it was all for your safety Bells. He said you agreed to try and move on."

"He lied."

"What?"

"He lied to you, Em. Edward told me I wasn't good enough, that I was a pet. That he didn't want me. That none of you cared. And I believed him. I believed that none of you really cared about me. But I was wrong, because now I know that you all do care. Jasper has taken to using his gift to randomly show me how everyone feels once in a while."

He wrapped me up in a tight bear hug, placing me in his lap, "We do, Bells. We do care. Even Rose although she doesn't show it. We love you Baby Bells. Don't ever forget that. We love you little sister."

"I know. I know that now. Just like I know that Edward lied a lot, and Alec loves me."

"He does love you. And you love him."

I smiled, "I do. I do love him, very much."

"Well, I'm glad you finally found your true mate. But next time…. talk to me, or even Rose if you have an issue, ok? I'm glad that I wasn't kept totally out of the loop, but I would have helped you if I had known how you felt. If you had just come to me, and told me that you didn't want to be with Edward, or that someone else was on your mind, or even just that you wanted me to bring you here to Volterra so that you could be with your mate, I would have helped you. I would have listened and helped you in any way that you needed, if you had come to me. It hurts that you felt like you couldn't. Rose would have helped you too."

"Doesn't Rose hate me?"

He sighed, shaking his head, "No, little bear. She doesn't hate you at all. She loves you, she really does. It's just…"

"I hated that you would be so willing to throw your life away for Edward. That you would so willingly give up your humanity, your future, and your ability to have children, all for a controlling bastard who has done nothing but lower your self esteem even more than it always was. I never hated you Bella. At first, I was scared that you'd reveal our secret, and so I tried pushing you away from us. That reason changed when you proved your loyalty to us time and time again. But then, I envied you, because of your ability to have children. I didn't hate you, Bella. I really just didn't want you to make the wrong choice."

Rose stepped away from her hiding spot behind the trees a few yards away, "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was wondering where Em was and followed his scent here."

I patted the boulder on the other side of me, indicating her to sit with us. I waited until she was comfortable to ask, "The wrong choice? Do you mean not staying human?"

She awarded me with a small smile, "Partly. You're humanity is your choice I get that. However, you choosing to give up your humanity for Edward rubbed me the wrong way. He wasn't right for you. If you were to give up your humanity for the one who was right for you…. then I wouldn't have tried raising such a fuss about it. He was controlling you Bella, and you let him. That pissed me off, and made me not want to like you."

"But now?" I questioned hopefully.

"Now…seeing you with Alec, I know that he is exactly right for you. While I don't like that you both drink mostly from humans, I can look past that and see just how much you mean to each other. A mate like Alec…you keep him, Bella. No matter what."

I grinned at her, "Oh, I plan to Rose. I definitely plan too."

"I've got one question, though." She smirked at me.

 _Uh oh_. "What is it?"

"Why do you correct everyone but Alec when they call you by your full name? He calls you Isabella…but when anyone else tries, you correct it. Why?" A mischievous grin fell on her face, as if she already knew the answer, and just wanted me to say it.

Once again, so glad I couldn't blush anymore. "Um…why?"

"I'm asking you. Just admit to it, Bella."

 _Looks like she wasn't going to let me avoid answering._

"I…I like the way it sounds when he says my full name. Especially when…" I paused, not wanting to go further.

Emmett's guffaw shook the trees as he laughed at my expense, "That's classic, Bells! Does anyone else know this?" A wicked gleam came in his eye.

"Don't you dare Emmett, please?"

"Oh no, this is too funny to be kept…."

He was interrupted when Rose smacked him outside his head, "You will not go spreading that around Em. Not if you want to be banned from touching me for a month…and besides, do you really want to think of your little sister in compromising positions?"

His laughter stopped and he shuddered, "Oh. No, no I don't."

It was my turn to laugh at his expense. I felt somehow lighter after today. Things had been tense between Emmett and I since he came to Italy during my change, and I was glad that we managed to work things out. It was just a bonus that Rose and I cleared the air between us, too.


	14. Ability

**A/N: Hey readers! So sorry this update took so long! Life got in the way! I find that this story is going in a little bit of a different direction than I originally planned, but don't worry. It is still an Alec/Bella pairing. The characters have just taken over the story from me. I once read a quote that said that there is a point where a character will do or say something that you did not expect or plan for, but somehow it makes the storyline even better. Here's hoping that it holds true for my story! Hope you enjoy this one readers :)**

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 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or any of its characters. That honor belongs to Stephanie Meyer. She. Is. Brilliant._**

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 **Chapter 14 - Ability**

 _ **Bella's POV**_

"Again."

I got up from my spot on the floor where Felix had just thrown me down. Again. Aro decided that I was in control of myself enough that it was time for me to be trained to win a fight…Volturi style, and without my gifts, whatever they were. A vampire named Eleazer was due to arrive today so that he could tell us more about my gifts. I hoped they were awesome because right now I'm getting my ass handed to me, and I could use a small ego boost.

I wasn't bad, per se. Except for the fact that I was consistently getting pinned and thrown a few times a minute. I mean, I know how to defend myself; I had mastered the basics the first day. Now I just needed to learn how to fight offensively. And normally I wouldn't be faring so badly… I just could not focus today.

I groaned as I found myself pinned to the ground again, this time by Jasper. He held out a hand to help me up, trying not to laugh. At my glare, he sat just sat down next to me, "Darlin' you aren't focusing like you should be. Your emotions are all over the place, which means something is _really_ bothering you, because normally I can't feel them this clearly. What's on your mind?"

I sighed, "It's nothing Jazz." I knew I wasn't focused; I had too much on my mind. And I really didn't want to get into it with an audience.

Sensing my reluctance, Jasper shared a private conversation with Aro, who then ordered everyone else to vacate the room. Alec looked at me worriedly, silently asking me to let him stay. I nodded my head at him, "Of course you can stay."

Alec sighed in relief and came to sit next to me, drawing me into his lap, "Thank you love. Now will you tell us what's wrong?"

I hesitated before nodding, "I'm just worried is all. Charlie and Renee are probably frantic because they haven't heard from me yet. I put them through enough grief when I shut down after everyone left me that first time. I just wish that I could let them know that I was ok or…at least give them closure."

"You mean let them think that you are dead?"

"…Yeah I guess so…don't get me wrong guys, I love my life as it is right now…but they raised me. For eighteen years, they sacrificed so much so that they could provide for me. Charlie wanted to be a lawyer, but he went into the police academy instead, because Renee got pregnant with me, and they needed a solid income fast. Did you know that my parents were actually only 18 when they had me? Just barely graduated high school, and they were taking care of me. They gave up so much for my sake, and I just disappeared on them."

"Is that why I can sometimes feel a trace of guilt coming from you?" Jasper asked.

I nodded as Alec squeezed me a little tighter, "Yes. Do you understand when I say that they deserve better than that? Deserve better than to be left wondering?"

Alec pressed a kiss to my head, "We understand Isabella. Why didn't you say something to me sooner?"

I turned to look up at him, "I didn't want to worry you, or sound like I regretted anything. I don't regret a thing. I'm unbelievably happy here with you. I just…feel guilty about the way I left them thinking that they could see me again one day. I want to give them closure instead of false hope, but…what if Edward decides to use them as leverage? He'd tell them I was actually still alive, which would defeat the purpose."

"Darlin' I understand what you are saying, now listen to me. Ally and I thought of that before we took you here to Italy. We sent Renee and Phil on a paid, year-long vacation to Paris, with spending money. Peter and Charlotte are keeping an eye over them. Your father however is still in Forks. Marcus has sent a couple of the less well-known guard to watch over him for now; he knew you would be worried. Besides, he's got the wolves, too. Your parents are safe."

"See love? Everything is taken care of, and hopefully everything will be resolved with Edward soon."

I nodded, feeling a little better, "Where do they think I am now? What about after everything settles down and Edward is no longer an issue?"

"The story is that you are traveling through Europe, a different country every week. As for after…that is up to you."

"I think…we should let them believe that I am…dead. That way, hopefully, they can move on." I swallowed, venom coating my eyes. I would hate myself for the pain I would put them through.

"It will be ok, Isabella. Trust me," Alec reassured.

I breathed in his scent as he asked, "What else is bothering you?"

"I… I'm never going to get the fighting thing down. I'm not a fighter. I never have been. I've always been…more of a gentle spirit, you could say. I used to always run from fights. And it's hard for me to spar against people that I care about. It's hard for me to hold back my strength enough to not kill whoever I'm sparring with. I end up focusing so much on controlling my strength that I can't see my partner's move until after it happens. I don't know how to focus on both. Its frustrating and embarrassing and…"

Alec cut me off with a kiss. "You'll get it love. It took me months to be able to take Felix down, just once. It takes practice is all."

"But you make it look so easy."

"Yes we do darlin' but we have had over a century of practice. You haven't. Don't be so hard on yourself; you'll get it with time. We just need to find the right technique to teach you with. I'll talk to Felix and Demitri, and I'll see if we can come up with a new method as your teachers. Deal?"

I nodded my head, "Ok Jazz. Thanks big brother."

"Feel better now?" They both asked, making me smile.

"Yes, a little," I replied looking at my phone that had vibrated with a text a few seconds ago, "It's Aro. Looks like Eleazar is almost here for me. We gotta go."

We stood and I held Alec back for a minute, gesturing for Jasper to go on ahead. When he'd gone I kissed my mate softly, "I love you, Alec. Thank you for being everything I need you to be."

He smiled down at me, "I should be thanking you. But… we'll discuss that later. Let's go see how awesome your gifts are."

I laughed, "Race ya!"

We arrived at the throne room seconds later, taking our places among the guard. They had decided to put me right next to Alec, in front of Felix. I watched apprehensively as Eleazar entered the room moments later. I watched as he bowed to the kings before Aro beckoned me to come forward.

I walked towards the men slowly, Alec shadowing me protectively a few feet behind. Eleazer watched me intensely as I came forward, his expression turning to one of amazement as he studied me. He continued staring at me in awe as he offered his hand to Aro.

Taking Eleazer's hand eagerly, Aro squealed in excitement as he read Eleazer's assessment, insisting that Eleazar shared his findings himself.

"Isabella…I have heard so much about you already from both Alice Cullen and Aro, so I was already very interested in meeting the clumsy human girl who stumbled into our world. From what I have heard previously, and from what I have seen today, you truly do belong in our world. It was already known that you possess a shield, which is an extremely rare gift itself. The fact that your mental shield was strong enough to protect you even as a human is simply unheard of. From what I see, Isabella, you are possibly the most powerful vampire that our kind has ever seen."

I stopped him, shaking my head, "That's not possible. How is that possible? I was never gifted in anything as a human, except for literature. Why would I be so gifted or powerful now? It doesn't make sense."

Marcus spoke up, "Sometimes, my dear, where we lack in one area, we make up for it in other areas. For example, physically, you aren't very skilled, which I hear was even worse when you were human. Physically you were always weak, but your strength seems to lie in your mental faculties."

I digested his words for a minute before gesturing for Eleazer to continue,

"You have more than just a shield, Isabella. Not only do you have a mental shield, but you also have a physical shield, both offensive and defensive. You have the ability to control all elements. You have the gift of magnification, meaning that you can magnify anyone's gift, including your own. You can also temporarily borrow anyone's gift, from any distance. You have a heightened ability to track. With some training, you may even be as good as Demitri one day, perhaps even better. Perhaps the most unique gift, however, is the gift of healing. You are able to heal injuries, both physical and emotional, in both humans and vampires alike."

The room was silent for a few moments after Eleazer's revelations, as everyone stared at me. I was in awe. I had always felt so inadequate as a human, and even a little as a vampire. But after today, I had no need to feel inferior. I may not be up to par on fighting, but I had enough gifts to make up for it. I looked behind me to see Alec smiling at me with pride, before turning back to Eleazer.

"Eleazer, may I ask a few questions?"

"Of course."

"On my first hunt…I was with Alec in the forest, and I was able to sense a human about ten miles away from us, and I knew what he was doing. I couldn't see him, smell him, or hear him, but I knew it was a male, and I could _feel_ him there. I also knew which of the animals in the forest were male, which were female, and which ones were pregnant, just from the smell. I knew exactly how many of each animal was where. Can you explain that please?"

Eleazer hesitated for a minute, thinking about his answer before saying, "Maybe that is what else I was sensing from you. I cannot describe what it is exactly. Keener senses, maybe. What did you feel as you sensed the human?"

I thought back, "The ground was humming under our feet just a little. Almost like it was vibrating."

"Ok. So it could be keener senses. Or it could be your ability to control the elements, and you are much more in tune with the elements than we know. It could also be a part of your gift as a tracker. Or it could be a combination of your gifts. Learn how to use your gifts, and how to combine them effectively, and then test the theory out to see if it is correct. But I can't be sure. I've never heard of a gift like that. Whatever it is, though, trust in your ability to wield it. Do not doubt your instincts concerning your gifts. Trust them."

"Ok…if my mental shield was active as a human, if only slightly, then why weren't the other abilities active?"

"If they were Isabella, you would be dead. Your human body and brain would have never been able to handle that much power. As for why they weren't active, I'm not sure. But I would guess that they would not have stayed inactive for very long. You were meant to be in our world, Isabella. Your gifts only had to bide their time before showing themselves."

"Alright. Thank you, Eleazer."

"You are very welcome, my dear. Aro, if I could speak to you and your brothers privately, I have an urgent matter to discuss. Major Whitlock, if you and your mate could join the conversation as well."

"Of course dear friend." Aro agreed before addressing the entire room, "Everyone who was not mentioned is dismissed."

Alec and I were the last to leave, throwing curious glances as the door closed behind us. The walk to our room was silent as we both digested Eleazer's assessment. It was a lot to take in. I mean, Eleazer wasn't kidding; I really was possibly the most powerful vampire in the world. While that was awesome…it was also scary to know that I had the gifts to make me this powerful. It would be a perfect combination for someone who wanted to destroy the Volturi. I didn't want to use my gifts to gain power though, but the idea that I could…it didn't sit right with me. If word of my gifts got out…then how many vampires who hate the Volturi would try to make me work for them in some takeover bid?

Sensing my distress, Alec wrapped his arms around me, "It'll be ok, Isabella. Everything will be ok. You will learn to control your gifts. You will be protected from anyone who intends you harm. You are going to be ok. Let me be here for you. What do you need?"

"Just hold me, Alec."


	15. News and Plans

**_A/n: I struggled with this chapter, wrote it once, hated it and then wrote it again. Hopefully the finished product that I'm posting isn't too bad. It's a little shorter than the others, but it was the best I could get it. Hope you enjoy!_**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight series or any of its characters.**

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 **Chapter 15 – News and Plans**

 ** _Jasper's POV:_**

"The floor is yours, my friend."

We hadn't been in the chambers behind the throne room for but a minute before Aro prodded Eleazer to speak, his worry and curiosity making him impatient.

"As you know, Edward Cullen is not happy about Miss Isabella's seeming disappearance. I hear that right now he does not suspect that she is within these walls, here in Volterra. As far as I understand it, he believes that he has succeeded in making her fear the Volturi irrevocably. He has recently come to my home for a visit. He stayed a while and left about a month ago."

"Is that why you were very cryptic when you answered my call to come and read her?"

He nodded, "Yes, partially. Tanya is still…infatuated with Edward, so to speak. She still believes that he belongs with her, and is extremely upset that he has chosen Isabella. She believes that the girl is inferior, and as a result, will do almost anything to get rid of her. I'm afraid that if Tanya finds out where dear Isabella is, then she will be out for blood. It is best if she does not find out. Tanya was with me when you rang."

"Eleazer, dear friend, are you suggesting that Tanya is a danger to my daughter? If so, then we both know what must be done," Marcus warned.

"As of right now, she may become a danger. However, I do not wish to end her existence just yet. I ask that you allow her to live for a while longer, despite her current feelings. Right now, she only has ideations of what she wants to do to Isabella. I will observe her closely and end her myself if I find she has actual plans to harm Isabella. I understand that she is very special here."

"Yes, she is special. She has brought joy to all of us, and also she is mated to Alec, one of our high-ranking guards. We will not take action yet. However, one toe over the line, and she is to be killed."

"I shall be sure that she shall take no harmful actions. Now, back to my original reason for requesting this meeting. Rumor has it that a certain redheaded vampire is making a newborn army. Rumor also has it that Edward himself joins her. She has been using his knowledge of newborns that he has managed to pick out of Major Whitlock's head."

Silence swept around the room at this bit of news, as everyone digested the information. I could feel the anger coming from everyone. Sending a wave of calm throughout the room I spoke up, "And have you been able to confirm these rumors?"

"The first rumor is true. It makes sense, for one. All the deaths and unexplained activity in Seattle would have confirmed it, even if I had not gone to confirm it myself. While I have been unable to know where their base is, I have seen multiple newborns causing havoc in the city. As far as Edward being in league with Victoria, I was unable to confirm that rumor as fact. Mainly because he was at my home very recently, so I have been unable to even think about it. I have confirmed that he is back with Carlisle and Esme as we speak."

"So he either is not involved with her at the moment, or he is involved in her plans, and is just acting from behind the scenes."

"That's right." Eleazer confirmed.

"Alice, what have you seen in your visions?" Aro asked.

My mate looked up at Aro, "I'm not sure. Edward knows my gift well; he knows how to get around my visions. My visions are subjective; they are entirely based on decisions that a person makes at that given time. So Edward just keeps changing is mind to confuse me."

"I see. So we are almost completely blind."

"Yes. I'm sorry, Aro. I'm trying to keep tabs on him, but it's proven to be difficult."

"No matter dear, you and Major Whitlock have done more than enough for us already by bringing Bella back to us safe and sound. We will just have to work with what we have. Major, you are a well-known tactician when it comes to wartime. What would you suggest we do?"

I tried not to show my surprise; Aro had seen almost as much war as me, and yet he was still asking me for advice? I mulled over different strategies in my head for a few moments before answering.

"Well, we already know that eventually Edward will figure out Bella's location, and I don't expect that to be much later. I say…we plant spies within the Cullen family to try and glean whatever information they can. You have four perfectly good spies already. Since Edward is under the impression that Ally and me are on a vacation, and Rose and Emmett are on a vacation, going back to rejoin the family should not raise any suspicions. We have all become proficient at keeping Edward out of our heads for a time. The second we can confirm our suspicion about him joining Victoria, or as soon as he discovers where Bella is…we can all fly back here to Volterra."

Aro considered it for a moment and conferred with his brothers before agreeing, "And what can we do in the meantime to prepare for whatever is coming?"

"Train. Work with Bella on her fighting skills. Although, I need to discuss a new strategy with Felix and Demitri, concerning her training. Bella needs to train with her gifts as well, to gain as much control of them as possible. Her shields and elemental gifts should be a great help if she masters them. As soon as we are back, we will help with that."

"We will make sure to help her get stronger in whatever way she can. Should we begin requesting help from other nomads and covens?"

I shook my head, "Not yet. I need to determine the situation with Edward first. If other covens and nomads start flocking to Volterra, Edward will become suspicious."

"When do you leave Major?"

"The sooner, the better. No longer than a few days from now. We need to say goodbye to Bella, and much as we do not want to."

Alice wrapped her arms around me when she sensed my distress over the idea, "She will be fine as long as we explain, Jazz."

I smiled down at her, "You've seen it darlin'?"

"No…I just know my best friend. Aro, we will say goodbye to Bella and then take our leave."

"That sounds good my dear. Thank you for everything you all have done, and are setting out to do."

Well that was a surprise; Aro doesn't normally thank anyone for matters like this.

"No need for thanks, Aro. Bella is our little sister, and hell will freeze over before any of us allow her to come to any harm."

And it was true; Bella had taught my family what it was like to live again. Before we met her, our lives had become monotonous; we did the same things over and over and over again, and we had forgotten how to be a family. I had gotten used to the family viewing me as the absolute weakest link in their diet, and no one but Alice, Rose, and Emmett ever fully trusted me. So when Bella had come into our lives, it was like a breath of fresh air. She taught us the true meaning of family. She wasn't scared of me, despite everything, and trusted me implicitly. That meant more to me than words could say. Bella is my little sister. And I knew that not only would I give my life to protect hers, but so would Emmett, Alice, and maybe Rose. Anyone who dared to harm Bella would not meet Jasper. They would meet the Major of the Southern Vampire Wars.


	16. Goodbye

_**A/n: Hello readers! Sorry this chapter is so short, and seems a little rough. It's been crazy, with my little one starting preschool and being completely exhausted. I'll try to update the next chapter a little faster! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

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 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or any of its characters. I wish.**_

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 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 16 - Goodbye**

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

The library doors creaked open slowly, making enough noise to force me to look up from my book, all hope of concentration lost. I glared at the intruder who dared to pull me out of the story I was reading.

Alec stood there sheepishly, smiling at me, "Sorry, Isabella. I didn't mean to disturb you."

My expression softened; I was never able to be truly irritated with him for long, "You didn't Alec. If it was anyone else, I'd be irritated. But I never mind when it's you interrupting me." I opened my arms, and he wasted no time in rushing over and nuzzling my neck where his mark was.

"I missed you," he mumbled, "I know we have been in the castle, and it has only been a few hours, but I missed you."

I mimicked his actions, nuzzling my own mark on his neck, "I missed you too baby. Why don't you grab a book and sit with me? We can read together."

"Or I can just sit and hold you while you read."

"That works too."

We settled in, and I picked my book up once again, flipping to the page I was on. We sat in comfortable silence as I read, and as he occasionally whispered his love for me, nuzzling my neck all the while. He really was the sweetest man I could have ever hoped for. He was constantly reassuring me of how he felt about me. Being here with my mate, reading and being loved by him…was absolute bliss.

Too bad that bliss was ruined when the doors burst open to reveal Emmett with Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie, all of them standing there with bright smiles on their faces. Alec stood, placing me back down on the couch gently, "I'll give you some time with them."

"Actually Alec, we were hoping you could stay here for a few minutes first. Jazz-man and I need to have a little chat with you. Come and sit."

I face palmed; I wondered when they would do this, "Hey guys, is this really necessary?"

Both of my brothers just gave me a look that clearly said, "Shut up."

I put my hands up in surrender, "Ok, ok. I'm sorry Alec. They feel like they have some sort of responsibility to do this. It's best to just get it over with."

My poor mate looked at me worriedly before sitting in the chair Emmett had indicated.

My brothers smiled wickedly before leaning in close to him with serious expressions before Emmett started, "You see, Baby Bells is our little sister."

Jasper picked up, "It is our duty as her brothers to make sure that she is cared for and protected,"

Emmett continued, "And so it is our responsibility to say this,"

And then together, "If you ever hurt our little sister in any way, we will kill you."

Alec winced as Jasper sent him fear, "Got it?"

Alec nodded vigorously before giving me a quick kiss and dashing out of my room. I held in my laughter as I watched him run like there was a fire on his heels. I'll have to make it up to him later.

I watched the door for a moment longer before I turned back to my siblings, glaring, "You scared the poor guy. He loves me, you know. He won't hurt me. You damn well know that."

"We know Baby Bells, but it's our job to threaten any boy our little sister loves. Keeps them in line."

"Okay…I can't argue with that," I admitted. "Was that all you came in here for?"

"No darlin'. We came to say goodbye. We have to go back to live as the Cullens once again."

"You're…you're leaving?" Venom pooled into my eyes. I knew they would need to eventually, but I had no idea it would be so soon.

Alice hugged me tightly, "We have to, Bella. We will be closer to Edward and therefore able to know his plans. He keeps evading my visions, so we have to go and learn what we can."

"But he can read your minds. He'll know that you all helped me."

Alice shook her head; "We can keep him out of our heads for a while. Until then…we spy on him."

"Come on, Baby Bells! Have a little faith, yeah? We will be fine. Big Brother Bear says so," Emmett proclaimed as he wrapped me in his signature bear hug, swinging me around like he used to. Good thing I didn't need to breathe anymore.

I giggled at his antics, "Ok, Ok! I trust that you guys will stay safe. Happy now?"

He set me down and grinned at me, "Good Baby Bells. Don't you worry about a thing. Just enjoy your time with Alec, ya hear me?"

I nodded, "Of course, Brother Bear!"

"And remember…if you ever have any problems or just need help or someone to talk to, we are all just a phone call away, ok?"

I sighed, "Yes, Em. I remember. When do you all leave?"

"Tonight, darlin'. Do you want to come with us on a hunt one last time before we go?"

"Sure."

That night came far too quickly for my liking. My siblings were standing at the castle entrance, each giving me a last hug goodbye. Venom filled my eyes as I watched their car fade in the distance, leaving me with my mate and new family. I leaned into Alec as he tightened his hold in comfort, whispering soothing words into my ear, "They will be back, my love. They love you too much to not come back one day."

"I know," I affirmed, looking up into his crimson eyes, "Let's go to our room, Alec. I need to be alone with you."

"Your wish is my command."


	17. Sisters

_**A/N: Hello readers! Here is another chapter for you! I suffered from a bit of writers block, so hopefully it is a good read for you. This story does contain some filler chapters, as new ideas come into my head for them,but I will try to stick to the main plot. Read and review!**_

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 **Disclaimer: Once again, the Twilight series and its characters are not mine. I just play with them**

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 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 14 – Sisters**

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

I had stopped being afraid of everyone else, and now it was just Jane. I had to do this, not only for myself, but also for my mate. I repeated the mantra in my head as I walked the long corridors in search of Jane's room, located on the far end of the castle. She had moved there in an attempt to make me more comfortable living here. Her room used to be right next to Alec's. She had given up so much for me, so now it was time for me to grit my teeth and stop being afraid of her once and for all.

"Jane, can we talk?" I stood in the doorway of her bedroom, anxiously anticipating her answer.

I was determined to get over my reservations and irrational fear of her today. She had been nothing but kind to me, no matter how jealous she became over the fact that I was now taking up most of Alec's time. As we were newly mated, it had been too difficult to be apart for weeks. But now that it's been a few months, we can be apart for short bursts of time without going insane. Our current limit was ten hours, if we were within the same city.

The short blonde girl looked over at me as she answered warily, "Sure, Bella. Come in… if you want to…" She paused, looking around me, "Where's Alec? Normally he is with you, or some other person that you trust..."

I immediately felt guilty; Jane had been doing everything she could to help me feel at ease around her, even apologizing for her display of cruelty. I knew that it hurt her that I was still a little bit afraid of her, even after finding out about my gifts. I had been making sure that I wasn't ever entirely alone with her, and hoping that no one had noticed. But I guess she did.

The guilt doubled when I thought about how my fear of Jane was affecting Alec too. I knew how much he wished for me to overcome my fear and bond with her, and so far I had been reluctant to do so, hardly even tried, and I was hurting both of them in the process. It was time for it to stop, time for me to stop hurting my mate, even if it was unintentionally.

I slowly, hesitantly walked in to sit next to her on her couch, wincing as she failed to hide her surprise fast enough, "I need to apologize, Jane…"

She raised an eyebrow in surprise, "For what? You've done nothing wrong."

I took a deep breath before I explained, "I haven't given you a fair chance. I…let my fear of you get in the way of forming a bond with you as my sister. You've been nothing but kind and helpful to me since I came back to Italy, and I've been doing everything I can to avoid being alone with you…"

She put a hand up to stop me, "I've always understood Bella. As much as our lack of a bond has hurt me, I never once blamed you. Our first meeting was far less than pleasant, and for that, I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to see that, not before you understood that it just was a mask that I wear for official business. I felt horrible about it when you all left Volterra, and Alec announced that you were his mate."

"I thought you all hated me."

"At the time, before I knew who you were, I did hate you. I won't lie. But… I only hated you because my gift couldn't affect you, and it made me feel so vulnerable. I hate feeling vulnerable above anything else." She clenched her fists.

"Because of why you were changed?" Alec had given me a brief history before, in his explanation of why he viewed Aro as a father.

"Mostly, yes. I grew up in very different times, Bella. In my era, if you were able to do things that could not be explained…you were called a witch and executed. One day, I remember being so angry with a boy our age, I don't remember for what, but I remembered being so angry that I wished him the worst pain imaginable… Next thing I know, he is writhing on the ground screaming. Word of the incident spread…and the villagers busted down the door to our home, and dragged Alec and me out. They believed that as my twin, he too must be a witch. Aro rescued us and changed us just in time. Then he killed the villagers in retaliation. Being tied to the stake, helpless and unable to do anything but watch the flames crawl towards us…. I never wanted to feel that vulnerable and weak again. And that day, when my gift wouldn't work on you, it was like I was tied to the stake again and…"

I steeled myself and hugged her, comforting her the best way I could. At least that part of my first experience here was explained, "I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

She shook her head, "It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't have to apologize for anything."

"But I do, Jane. I'm the reason that you and Alec barely see each other anymore."

"You are his mate. I knew this would happen one day, it's just taking me some time to get used to."

"But…you could see each other more if I didn't let my nerves get the best of me."

"We could, yes. And one day, we will get there. Until then, I don't mind waiting for you to not be afraid of me."

"I want to not be afraid. I need to not be afraid. I know that my fear of you is only hurting you, and in turn it is hurting Alec. I don't want to hurt him anymore, Jane. And the way I see it, the only way that I'm going to stop being afraid of you is to be around you…alone."

"What do you suggest?"

"Two options. We hang out, just the two of us, until I stop being afraid or…we agree to start on clean slates period."

"Both. Can we do both?"

"Yes, that sounds even better. So now…"

She smiled at me before giving me a tentative hug, "Sisters?"

"Sisters," I agreed, returning her hug.

"Do you need to go back to Alec now? I'm free if not."

I smiled at her, "I sent him to go and hang out with Felix and Demitri. He doesn't know that I'm here."

"Oh. Why not?"

"Because he would offer to come with me instead of getting time to hang out with the guys. They have been excited about finally getting to have guy time today. And to be honest...your brother can give me this pleading look that makes me absolutely melt and turn into a puddle of Bella-goo, and I end up agreeing to whatever he wants."

She laughed, "Yeah I bet. Should have seen it when we were little kids. Drove our parents crazy. He definitely knows how to be just adorable enough to get whatever he's asking for. Aro will deny it profusely, but he falls for it every time."

I laughed with her, "I would pay money to see that!"

"No need, just watch him whenever he goes to Aro with a special request. It doesn't happen often, but I'll make sure to grab you when I know it's going to happen again."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Hey Jane…thanks for understanding. I'm glad I came to talk to you today. I have one request for you."

"What is it?"

"Move back into your old room. Alec misses you, and we can still hang out and bond and be sisters. We can even surprise Alec with it. Please?"

She grinned brightly at me, "You really mean it?" I nodded and she launched herself towards me, enveloping me in a strong hug, "Thank you. This means a lot to me. I promise to be the best sister ever."

I was relieved at her agreement, "Then let's do this before Alec gets back. We have a few hours, so how about we move everything really quick and then hunt together? I'm not really thirsty, and I don't know if you are, but it could be a fun experience for us."

An hour later we left the castle in search of our meals, both of us unaware of the three figures watching us from a high window.

* * *

 _ **Alec's POV:**_

I sighed for the thousandth time as I lost yet another game to Felix; I just didn't have the energy to care about competing with them. Isabella had sent me away earlier, telling me that it was good to spend time with my friends without her, even though they were her friends too.

She had gotten over her fear of Felix and Demitri well enough, and they became not only her friends, but also her brothers. Of course, it wasn't really a surprise; the two were such odd goofballs that it really was difficult to not like them. Isabella has also bonded with the Masters, and some of the other guards. She doesn't go to her new family if she needs anything, choosing her vegetarian family for that instead, but she has a bond to them nonetheless.

She only has had difficulty with Jane so far, no matter what my sister tries to win her trust. I didn't blame my mate; I knew why she was so nervous of my sister. But that didn't mean that I didn't wish that Isabella could overcome her fear sooner rather than later. Jane understands, but she's also hurt by Isabella's continued fear of her.

It's hurt me as well, although I try not to show it to Isabella. It's not her fault, after all.

My thoughts were interrupted when Felix threw a controller at my head, "Yo Alec! What's going on in that puny little brain of yours?"

I rolled my eyes and set my controller down, not even bothering to retaliate as I normally would. Felix stopped laughing and opted for another track, "Seriously brother, what is bothering you? Is it Bella? Are you wanting to go back to her already?"

"I always want to be with her, but that's not what I was thinking about."

"Then tell us, brother."

It only took one word for them to understand, "Jane."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"She'll come around brother, just give her time."

"I know Dem. I know, but…"

"You miss your sister. And Bella's fear of her bothers you more than you've let on to her. " Dem walked over to the window to look down onto the grounds as he spoke.

"I worry about Isabella being on her own right now, too. Not since her siblings had to leave the other day for a while. She doesn't like to be around anybody much besides you two, our masters, and me. You two are with me and our masters are busy right now."

Demitri looked over at me grinning, "But apparently she isn't alone right now, come and look."

Curious, I walked over to look out of the same window. Shock and then joy coursed through me, as I saw Isabella walking out with Jane of all people. The two were laughing, to my amazement, and my Isabella didn't flinch once as Jane put an arm around her shoulder. I smiled as we watched the girls walk into the trees together smiling and laughing the entire way.

The smile never left my face as we went back to playing video games with my brothers. I felt lighter than I had in months.


	18. Confrontations and Thwarted Plans

_**A/n: Hello readers! So this chapter did not go with the way I had planned. But the best advice that I ever received was that sometimes characters will do or say things that you don't plan for them, and its best to just let it happen.**_

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 **Disclaimer: Do not own Twilight series or its characters. They are fun to play with though!**

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 **Chapter 18 – Confrontations and Thwarted Plans**

 _ **Jasper's POV:**_

We had taken the last couple of weeks "vacationing" throughout Europe, buying little things to help set up the façade that we had been doing just that. Clothing, souvenirs, tour tickets, hotel stays, anything to make our story more credible. All of it was in the name of protecting Bella. No matter what, Edward would not discover where we really had been, or where Bella currently was…at least not yet.

Edward was there to greet us with Carlisle and Esme as we arrived back home. Almost immediately I felt him attempt to search our minds, and started to think of my time in the Southern Wars to thwart him. As always, it never failed to make him sneer in disgust and retreat from my mind. The same happened with the others; Alice was probably thinking of the latest shopping trip, Rose about her latest project car, and Emmett about his latest sex adventure with Rose.

The four of us had agreed before we left Italy as to how long we would stay to obtain knowledge of Edward's plans before deciding it was too risky. We had also agreed on what to think around Edward to keep him out of our heads, and that we would never discuss our mission while in the vicinity of the home. The second that we knew Edward's plans, we would make another excuse and disappear, traveling separately for a couple weeks, before meeting up again in Italy.

It was then that we would divulge all we knew to Aro, and from there plans could be made. We would protect our little sister, no matter what.

I reached out with my gift, tasting the emotions of the three in front of us. Edward was suspicious, his curiosity getting stronger by the second. I knew he was wondering what we had really been up to. Looks like he finally figured out that Bella couldn't have disappeared without some sort of help. He also knew that I had the best chance at helping her live completely off the grid, with the connections that I had made in this existence. Too bad he couldn't really prove anything.

Esme was happy to have us back, at least she was happy for Alice, Emmett, and Rose to be back. I knew that she only accepted me because I made Alice happy. When she looked at me all she felt was disdain and reluctant acceptance. Still, she put on a show of hugging me and telling me that she missed me too. One glance at Alice told me that she knew better than to believe her mother figure, too.

Carlisle was accepting of everyone, me included, so he was truly happy to see all of us. He was exuding happiness, love, contentment, and relief, but he was also feeling suspicious, particularly in my direction. I inwardly shrugged. It didn't matter to me. I would be out of here soon enough.

"What are you guys hiding? You are blocking me on purpose. I want to know why." Edward's irritating whiny voice interrupted my musings. Nosy, gutless bastard.

"Didn't your mama ever teach you that it wasn't polite to be nosy, Edward?"

"Didn't yours ever teach you that having secrets wasn't a way to treat those you call family? You should not be hiding your thoughts from me, any of you."

"Our thoughts are private, and it is rude of you to purposefully read them."

"Where's Bella?"

So he does suspect something, then. I knew it. I faked ignorance, "Isn't that a question I should be asking you? Can you not keep track of your little girlfriend?"

"My _fiancé_ ," he growled.

"Fine. Your fiancé, then. Can you not keep track of her? Or did she finally decide that she didn't want to be with a pompous, 109-year-old prude virgin like you? I felt what she did every time you rejected her advances. I felt what she did when you controlled every aspect of her life. She hated it."

Carlisle and Esme quietly excused themselves, choosing to let us just fight amongst ourselves. I decided to try and see what Edward knew so far.

"She's my mate, Jasper. I will do with her as I see fit. It would do you well to stay out of business that is not yours to be in."

"And you see fit in controlling her every move? You had to choose what and when she could eat, sleep, wear, and spend time with anyone other than you? You see fit in denying her the very change that would ensure that you two could have eternity together?"

"Yes, I do. Bella is meek, fragile, and needs to be guided and protected in all ways. She does not know what she wants or needs."

I changed tactics, turning his original question around on him, "So where is Bella then?"

"I don't know. I left to go to a conference with Carlisle, and when I came back, she had left me with nothing but a note. I traced her phone and got nowhere. I tried calling her and she refused to come back."

"I see." Really, what else could I say? I knew he wasn't done yet.

Edward looked at us a little longer, still attempting to invade and search in our thoughts, his frustration increasing as he kept failing to find what he wanted.

Then he snapped, "You know what I think, _brother_? I think that you helped her. You and Alice. I think that you two helped her hide indefinitely from me. And I think that Emmett and Rose know where she is too. And while I may not be able to get her location from any of your minds, I will figure it out. I will figure out where you took her, and then I will go to her, and teach her not to run from me again."

He was trying to bait me into thinking about her accidently. Didn't he know better than that? A tactic that basic would never work on me. Instead of rising to the bait I merely asked, "Teach her how?"

He scoffed, "Like I'm going to tell you. I'll just say that she will definitely learn her lesson by the time I'm through with her. Now if you'll excuse me, I am running late for class; at least _some_ of us are remembering that we have a charade to keep up."

With that he left, speeding away angrily in his Volvo. I whispered to my companions to meet me at the hidden waterfall 10 miles away before speeding off to wait for them. They didn't take long,

"Does he know? Jazz, does he really know that we helped her? Or is he just guessing? Are we safe here?" Emmett asked.

"He suspects, and based on everyone's emotions, I believe that Carlisle suspects something too. However, neither of them has any proof, and therefore cannot do anything yet. We should be safe enough, unless Alice has seen something."

Alice shook her head, "I can't see much. I see Edward phoning Carlisle right now and convincing him that we do know where Bella is, and is convincing him that you are the sole perpetrator, with us as unknowing accomplices."

I smirked, "Well, it's no secret that he's always hated me. What else can you see?"

"Carlisle is planning to talk to you when we get back. He is convinced that we know where Bella is too, and is determined to get it out of you."

"Well he can try. I hope he's prepared for disappointment. Are we safe enough to stay Alice, or do we need to get out of here and spy from a distance?"

She was silent for a moment, eyes glazed over, before she answered me, "Neither. Edward is packing up to leave for Denali tonight. Tanya is waiting for him, to help him _relieve_ his frustrations."

"What!" Emmett shouted, "That little good-for-nothing bastard claims to love Bella and then goes and sleeps with that slut!"

"Not the first time that he's done it, Em. He's done it before. Many times. He thinks that no one knows, but we do, I've seen it," Alice replied.

"And I bet that Carlisle and Esme know about it. Edward is the golden boy, after all. He can do no wrong. Honestly I'm over being the only person wrong whenever we fight." Rose said, scowling.

"Me too," Emmett agreed, "And as much as I love being able to live peacefully with the humans, and as much as I love having a family to go home to, I can't stand going to high school or college over and over and over again anymore. It's become boring. I want to go out and explore. I'm tired of seeing everyone being pushed aside for what Edward wants, and what Edward needs. Never once have any of us gotten what we wanted or needed, not when Edward is involved. Never once has Edward been declared to be in the wrong, no matter if he really is or not. I'm sick of it."

I wasn't surprised at Emmett's rant. His anger and frustration increased every time Carlisle or Esme took Edward's side or pushed Emmett's wants and needs away in favor of Edward's. It made all of us angry and frustrated whenever it would happen to us. To be honest the only reason I chose to stay in the family was because Alice loved them, despite everything. Although her bonds, along with Emmett, Rosalie, and my own bonds to the parental figures and first son of the family had been slowly dissolving. At this point, I knew that it wouldn't be long before something happened and we were no longer living as a family unit with them.

"So what do we do?" Rose asked, after she had gotten Emmett to calm down, "It's time I am honest with all of you. I don't feel like Carlisle and Esme are my parents anymore, and Edward has never been a brother to me."

Emmett grunted his agreement, and Alice nodded, "Me too. I don't want to be back here. I want to be with Bella. She's my best friend and sister."

I wrapped my arms around my mate, "Well Ally darlin' that can be arranged. We can ask Aro if we can join his coven. I'm sure he won't turn us away, he is rather fond of you."

"What about us? We don't have any special gifts," Emmett interjected.

"I'm sure he will accept you too. Remember Emmett, you have your extra strength and Rose is the best mechanic we know and she has her beauty. Besides, I don't think that Aro will care if you have a gift. As long as you give him respect and follow the laws, I'm sure he'll be happy to have you."

"What are we saying?" Alice asked me, "Are we really leaving the only family we've known here to join a new one in Italy?"

"If you want to, yes. What do you see Alice, if we stay?"

Her eyes glazed over in a vision, "We'd be miserable. Edward always gets his way, and it gets so bad that Carlisle places more restrictions on what we could and could not do, and Edward would be the only one who was exempt from them. Eventually the number of times that Edward was favored again would become one too many, and Emmett will snap and kill him."

"Who says that's a bad thing?"

We all chuckled at Emmett's question.

"And if we join the Volturi coven? I asked.

She took a few minutes to see the result of that outcome, "Then we will be happy. We will be able to keep our diet of animals only if we wish."

"Then I'd say it's decided. What about you darlin'?"

"I'd say so too. Do we go back now, or do we stay a while to try and discover Edward's plans? My visions tell me so far that he is staying in Denali with Tanya for a while. So we would be useless here, but the four of us showing up there would cause him to suspect us even more than he already does."

So his sudden departure to Denali put a wrench in our plans. Great.

"We should call Aro, and see what he wants us to do," I say, taking out my phone.

It took a few moments before he answered,

" _Major? I wasn't expecting to hear from you yet. Is everything ok?"_

"Aro, you are on speakerphone. Some new developments have come up. Edward suspects us already for helping Bella hide from him, and he suspects that we know her whereabouts. He has already tried to search our minds twice, and we just arrived back home a couple hours ago."

" _Oh my. That is a problem, isn't it? Are you still able to safely obtain the information that you need from him?"_

"Possibly yes, we could obtain the information. However, Edward has decided to go up to Denali to visit with Tanya for a while. It would raise suspicion if any of us showed up as well, especially now. What should we do?"

"… _Come back. There is no point in risking your safety and that of your siblings and mate, if there is no way you can spy on Edward without raising more suspicion, Major. We will just have to make due with the information that we have, and with Alice trying to see from a distance."_

"Would you like us to investigate the newborn situation in Seattle?"

" _If you can do so without raising suspicion, then yes. Investigate only, I don't want you to eliminate them yet."_

"Got it. And Aro?"

" _Yes, Major?"_

"When we come back, we would like to stay permanently, if that is alright with you. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and I cannot stand belonging to Carlisle's coven anymore, not with the way that it's been run these past few decades. We would like to join yours, if you would have us."

" _Of course. No need to ask. All four of you are welcome to join us. I know for a fact that Isabella would love that. She has been missing all of you."_

Alice squealed excitedly and Emmett grinned widely as I replied, "Thank you Aro. We will be back as soon as possible. Can you please keep this to yourself for now? We'd like to surprise Bella."

" _Of course. I'll make a few phone calls to make sure the jet will be ready for you to leave Seattle, and I'll warn Eleazar about Edward's visit. Is 24 hours long enough for you to determine what you need to about the newborn army?"_

"That's more than enough time. Thank you, Aro."

" _Not a problem, son. I'll see you all when you get back home."_

He hung up. I smiled when he called me son, no doubt testing the waters. Surprisingly, I didn't mind it coming from Aro. It used to rub me the wrong way whenever Carlisle would call me son, but when Aro called me son, I liked it.

"Well, I guess it's decided. We should get going."

The others nodded in agreement and we were back at the Cullen's house within moments to find Carlisle waiting for us in the driveway with Esme, blocking us from going any farther. He stared at us for a few moments before asking, "What are you hiding? We don't keep secrets in this family. Where is Bella, Jasper?"

"I don't know what you are talking about Carlisle. Ally and I have been vacationing in Europe, and we ran into Rose and Emmett in Paris, and decided to travel home with them."

"Forgive me if I don't believe that. Alice, you must know. Do you really want to hurt your brother this way?"

Alice shook her head, "I don't know where Bella is Carlisle. I really don't. Jazz and I really were vacationing. I wanted some time with just him for a while. You know that living here we don't really ever get a lot of time completely alone."

Carlisle considered her answer for a moment before nodding, "Alright Alice. I'll let it go for now. However, this doesn't mean that I am done. I will get Bella's current whereabouts out of one of you."

With that he turned around and left us standing in the middle of the driveway. Esme glared at me before turning to follow her mate.

"Let's get our stuff and get out of here. The sooner the better," I whispered. Everyone nodded and we all dispersed to pack our belongings. Within moments our things were in my truck and we were standing in front of Carlisle again, handing in our Cullen crests.

Carlisle looked at them dumbfounded momentarily before speaking, "What is the meaning of this?"

I raised my eyebrow at him; wasn't the answer obvious?

"Well Carlisle, you wanted to know what we were hiding? Here it is. We are leaving the family, the four of us. We are making our own coven. We can no longer stand you favoring Edward in everything, even when he is clearly wrong. We refuse to put up with it any longer."

"But why? _You_ can leave Jasper, that's fine. But do not take my other son and my daughters from me!" Esme shouted at me.

Alice spoke up, "You are not our mother, Esme. The only one you truly love as your own is Edward. I am leaving with Jazz because I can't stand being in your family any longer."

"Em and I feel the same way. You both treat Edward like he is a prince or something. Next to him, none of us ever compared to him in your eyes. We don't want to live like that anymore, Esme."

"But where will you go?"

"Peter and Charlotte's for now," I lied, "Bottom line is that we no longer identify as Cullens. Now if you will excuse us, we'd like to get going. Goodbye Carlisle, Esme."

Like they had a choice but to let us go. I sent both parental figures a shot of lethargy, giving us the time we needed to leave Forks. We reached Seattle in record time, and soon enough we were boarding the Volturi jet, heading towards our new home.

I felt true peace for the first time in years, knowing that we were going to a better place, where none of us would be judged. A place where we can truly be ourselves, instead of the façade that we had put on every day for the last 50 years or so. We were going home.


	19. Tales

Don't own characters. I just play with them.

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 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 19 – Tales**

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

"Did he really do that?" I asked.

Our joined hunt managed to succeed in bringing us closer. We only drank from one human each; after we played with them. This time it was the two biggest leaders of a sex trafficking ring. They didn't deserve to live, not after we witnessed their cruelty. So we tortured them before we drained them, and then we went back to set whatever girls we could free.

We spent hours after that, walking back slowly through the forest, slowly getting to know one another. She really wasn't so bad once she opens up to you. We were actually very alike in our personalities. My fear had been slowly fading the more we talked. For the past hour she had been regaling me with tales of Alec's time as a newborn vampire. This most recent one had been about his first month as a vampire. He had accidently cut off the senses of everyone in the entire castle, and freaked out when no one responded to him. It took him a week to figure out what had happened and undo it.

Jane smiled and nodded, "It's hard to imagine unless you had been there, I know. For a while I hardly believed it myself. He didn't know then, just how powerful his gift was. He didn't realize that he was letting it flow freely. It was completely by accident. At first, no one found it funny, _especially_ Aro, as he was in the middle of… _relations_ …with his mate. But as time passed, it became a funny memory."

"As disturbing as it is to hear my Uncle having conjugal relations…poor guy. And Aunt Sulpicia, too. I feel bad for them."

Her tinkling laughter reverberated against the walls as we entered the castle. "So do I. And when everyone came back to, Alec freaked out even more and immediately started apologizing to everyone he could, and totally not paying attention to where he was going..."

I stumbled in my shock, "Tell me he didn't…" I couldn't make myself finish the sentence.

Jane laughed harder, "He did. He totally did Bella. He was mortified, and Aro was pissed. Understandably so. So at this point Alec screamed his apology out, for both incidences, and ran out of there like the hounds of hell were after him. I wish you could have seen his face when he hid in my room and explained what had happened."

"How long did it take until Aro forgave the poor guy?"

"Surprisingly only a couple of days. I mean it did help that Aro knew the entire story just by touching Alec's hand in passing. At this point Alec was on edge, especially when Aro was near. So when Aro saw the story first hand in Alec's point of view…he began laughing. Hysterically. And poor Alec was terrified, because he didn't know if Aro truly found it funny, and it was a happy laugh, or if it was one of those laughs people make when they are planning something evil."

"Wow. Well, I'm glad that Aro found it funny. Poor Alec. Did anyone let him live it down after that?" I asked as we rounded the corner to our rooms.

Jane opened her mouth to answer, but someone behind us beat her to it, "No, they haven't. Even now. Centuries later its still a favorite incident to tease me about."

I turned to see Alec rubbing his hand over the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Jane, I love you dear sister but did you really have to tell her that particular story?"

"Of course I did brother. I told her about the entire entertaining year, actually. Besides, if I hadn't, then you can bet that Felix or Demitri would have at some point." She drew me into a hug before continuing, "I am going to set my old room back up. Spend some time with my idiot brother, and come see me later."

I smiled before hugging her back, "Will do. See you later, sis."

I watched as Jane entered her room and shut the door before turning back to Alec and walked towards him with a big smile on my face. He silently held his arms out and I rushed into them eagerly. I may have enjoyed my time with Jane, and made a new friend and sister, but I had missed Alec more than I expected. I needed this time with him, and Jane knew that without me having to say anything, thankfully.

Alec wasted no time in kissing me as soon as our bedroom door closed, pinning me against the wall, my legs wrapped around his waist. His hands found their way under my shirt, as he began caressing me along my back and sides. He pulled back after a few minutes, sliding me deliciously down his body, taking in every inch of mine.

He led me to the bed and peppered my face with kisses as he began speaking, "You. Are. Incredible. You managed to talk to my sister completely by yourself, and I didn't notice an ounce of fear coming from you just now. I even saw you leaving the castle alone with her. That had to be a leap of faith for you. Thank you, Isabella."

I smiled at him softly, "No need to thank me. It needed to happen at some point."

"Can I ask how this came to be? Did she come to you or?"

I reached up to place my hand on his chest, "I went to her. I decided that I was being ridiculous with this irrational fear, understandable or not. So I went to her room, and asked if we could talk. She was shocked that I was there alone, naturally."

"What did she do?"

"She invited me in. We sat, talked, and apologized to each other. I felt bad that she had uprooted her life to make mine easier. I knew that I needed to stop fearing her so much, so I proposed that we either just start on clean slates, or that we spend so much time alone together that I eventually forgot why I ever feared her in the first place."

"What did you choose?" Either could have led to this result.

"Both, actually. I asked her to move back to her old room up here, and I helped her move her things. Then we went hunting together. On the way back we decided to walk at human speed so that we could get to know each other better before we came back. She's actually pretty great once you get to know her."

He kissed me passionately before responding, "That she is. Thank you, Isabella. You are my life, my mate, and seeing you and Jane laughing and talking like that made me really happy…was your need to get over your fear your only motivation?"

I sighed, "No, it wasn't. Alec, it was hurting you. I know you tried to hide that, but I could tell. You are my life too Alec, you are everything to me. I knew that my reluctance to be around Jane on my own, to fix my relationship with and bond with her as sisters should; it hurt you. Deeply. I hated that. I hated being the one to hurt you. And I hated that you tried to hide your pain for my sake. So I decided to just do it. I'll admit at first it was very nerve-wracking, but I'm glad I did it."

He let out a heavy breath, "I understood your reluctance, Isabella. I didn't want you to force yourself to overcome your fear solely for my sake. That's why I tried to hide how much it hurt me from you. I never meant for you to know how much it hurt. However, I am glad that you are overcoming your fear and bonding with her."

"You are a wonderful man, Alec, and I am very lucky to have you as my mate. But can you promise to never hide your pain from me again? I want to know when you are hurting. I want to be the one to comfort you and chase your worries away."

"I promise, love. Will you do the same for me? Promise that when something is bothering you, you come to me. Don't wait until it builds up and you explode, or you end up being distracted in everything you do. Come to me, or go to Dem, Felix, or Jane. We all want to be there for you. We all love you Isabella, you are my mate and their sister. I know you have a family that you are quite attached to, and none of us mind that they are your family, but let us be your family too."

I snuggled into him, my words coming out muffled, "I promise, Alec. I love you."

"I love you too. Forever."

We lay there for a while, in our own peaceful little bubble, until a loud knock resounded at the door, and Felix spoke through it, "Alec, Bella, Aro wants to see you both in the throne room now. Just a warning, he is really excited about something, more than usual."

Alec chuckled at my groan of disappointment; I didn't want to leave our bubble yet.

"Come on love. Let's go see what he wants."


	20. Home

_**I know it's been a while since my last update...Between moving, and preparing for a new baby coming in May, real life has been hectic to say the least.**_

 _ **So the switching between POV's was the only way I could figure out how to get everything I wanted to into this chapter. I hope it isn't too bad of a read.**_

 _ **Thank you for all those who favorited/followed. It really motivates me to keep going.**_

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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 20 – Home**

 _ **Jasper's POV:**_

In the end it was a few days before we ended up back in Volterra after catching the plane. When we landed Emmett had insisted on taking the time to run through the country to find and get Bella different books, mostly classics, preferably all first editions of her favorites. I reluctantly agreed after Ally asked me to; I could never say no to anything she asked of me, as long as it didn't put her in any danger. We agreed to meet back in a Florence café in 48 hours.

I wondered briefly if we would find that many first edition classics in that time frame. As expected, Rose and Alice only found a couple of books each, and I only found four, but Emmett surprised us all when he came back with over twenty books in a rather large backpack that he had to buy to make carrying them easier. His infectious grin spread to the rest of us as we got into the rental car and drove to our new home. Bella would love our gift, and she would accept it…as long as we could avoid telling her the actual cost.

Aro had sent Felix to greet us, taking us directly to the throne room. Setting the books aside, we sat in the provided chairs to wait. We didn't have to wait long before the three Kings showed up.

Aro came sweeping in the room in his usual regal manner, clapping his hands together once, "Ah Major Whitlock, you are all back! I must say that I thought you'd be back sooner."

I bowed my head towards him slightly as I explained, "I apologize for our tardiness Aro. We stopped off to get Bella a gift set; it took us a couple of days to gather everything from all over the country."

"Oh my dear boy I'm not mad, I just didn't know if you were still safe or not. Although, since it's you Major I probably didn't need to worry so much. Now, may I see what you brought for our dear Isabella?"

"A series of first edition books, mostly classics. Bella has a weakness for the classics."

Marcus smiled slightly, "That she does. I'm sure that she will love this gift. After getting over the initial shock of the cost."

I winced, "We are hoping she won't ask. Bella hates when we spend a ton of money on her."

Aro laughed, "Well then, let us hope that she does not. Now, back to business! What have you been able to determine Major?"

"Victoria has about fifty newborns residing in a warehouse on the outskirts of Seattle. We noticed that a few of the older looking ones were leaving for a few hours at a time. I had Emmett and Rose follow them, and they discovered other scattered warehouses with more newborns in them. We saw no sign of Victoria. In all there are nearly two hundred newborns."

"Any sign of Edward?"

"No. We were unable to determine that much."

"I see. Were you able to confirm exactly what Victoria plans for this army she has created?"

I nodded grimly, "Yes, and its as I originally suspected. Victoria is making the newborn army to kill Bella, and whoever gets in her way. That would be us, as we would all be the ones protecting her."

"And this Victoria is still unaware of Bella's current location?"

"So far, yes."

Caius jumped in, "Wait a minute. Why don't we just track her down, bring her in, and destroy her army? We do have the best tracker available, after all. We all know he would be all too willing to do the task, especially when we tell him her target is Isabella."

I shook my head at him, "While that may seem to be a viable solution, it would be much more difficult than you think. Victoria has the gift of evasion. Whenever you come close to catching her, even when you corner her and trap her, her gift allows a loophole, and then she is able to escape."

"I see. So we may need to wait for her to make her move first then."

"Yes. Hopefully Alice will see it when Victoria makes her decision."

"And until then, we will all train more than we normally do."

"Has Bella been working on using her gifts?" I asked.

Aro shook his head, "No, not yet. She has been adjusting to not having the four of you around, so we wanted to give her just a little time for it before we start training. However, she has improved on her fighting skills. It seems that she only needed a little bit of motivation."

"Oh? So my idea worked then. That's good to know. Bella was rather put out over the fact that she wasn't doing too great with her training."

"Jazz, what was your idea?" Emmett asked.

"Have a newborn attack Alec. She protected him by instinct, since for now she is the physically stronger of the two. It was to be at random, when she least expected it."

"Yes," Aro grinned, "Every time she had the newborn in pieces within seconds. They never stood a chance. And now she has more confidence and is able to stand against Felix better than before."

Emmett nodded, impressed, "Go Bells."

Go Bells, indeed. I was proud of her.

"We should start training her to control her gifts as soon as possible," I suggested, "We don't know when Victoria plans to strike."

Aro nodded, "Yes, that would be wise. We'll start with her shields, since she was able to use her mental one as a human. Once she masters them, then we'll move on to her elemental ability. I have a friend who may be willing to show her how to harness that particular gift. Then we will work on magnification and healing. We'll save her tracking ability for last. How does that sound, Major?"

"It sounds like a sound plan to me. Learning to use her shields first would ensure that she can at the very least shield us from attack, and possibly use her physical shield to knock the enemies back. Her elemental ability would also be a great help, especially if she can conjure fire and light some of the enemy on fire automatically. The magnification would help our gifts reach further out, and do more damage. And if she can also learn to heal injuries, then there may be fewer casualties for us."

"Then we shall start training her with her gifts as soon as possible. Now, let us summon Isabella, and you can tell her the great news yourself. Felix?"

Felix didn't need the order, "On it, master."

It was a few minutes before the doors opened again to reveal Bella and Alec. Bella spotted us almost immediately and ran to hug us instantly. Her excitement and happiness was palpable, even without my empath abilities. Emmett spun her around as always, and as always, her hug with Alice lasted longer than with the rest of us.

"You guys came back quick! I thought you'd be gone longer than this."

I chuckled, "Well darlin' a lot has happened. We will tell you about it all soon, but first…" I paused to bring out the books, setting them down in front of her before continuing, "Emmett, Ally, Rose and I got ya a little something."

* * *

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

I was ecstatic when the doors opened and I saw my family standing in the throne room. I ran over to hug them, with Emmett swinging me around in his signature bear hug. I was confused though; why were they back so soon? Surely Edward didn't find them out so soon?

When Jasper placed the bags in front of me, I looked inside to see books. Not just any set of books, but classics, and first editions too.

My eyes filled with venom as I looked back up at my brother, "How? These aren't easy to find, and what they must have cost…just wow?"

Jasper smiled at me, "Well lil' darlin' we wanted to get you as many as we could find, and I guess luck found us. Emmett found most of them."

"I can't take this. It's too much. You didn't have to do this for me."

"We wanted to Baby Bells," Emmett reassured me, "Please accept it. You know that any of us has more than enough money to afford this. Did this cost a pretty penny? Yes it did. But it didn't even make a dent into our savings."

"But…"

I paused as Alec hugged me from behind, "Let them spoil you Isabella. You deserve it. Just accept their gift and say thank you."

"…Thank you guys. You still didn't have to buy these for me, but…I'll admit I'm glad you did. So I won't complain about the cost and I won't even ask about it...this time"

Jasper smiled and hugged me, "Your welcome little sis. Now, do you want to know why we are back so soon?"

"Well yeah, of course I do."

Alec squeezed me lightly from behind.

* * *

 _ **Jasper's POV:**_

I only decided to give her the short version,

"Edward tried to dig into our minds the second we arrived home. He suspects that we, particularly I, had a hand in your sudden disappearance from Forks. We argued and then he left for school. Edward decided to visit the Denali coven in Alaska to see Tanya, so she could help him relieve his frustrations…again…"

I paused to gauge her reaction to this. Alec stiffened and held her closer as the meaning of what I had just announced sunk in. Everyone was tense with nervous anticipation of her reaction. I expected Bella to be hurt and angry, maybe even cry a little, but she surprised us all.

"Oh, well that. Yeah, I knew about that. Figured it out after he kept coming back after his so-called hunting trips smelling like another woman's perfume. It stopped bothering me a long time ago. Please, continue."

Alec smiled at her brightly as I sent her my pride and love before continuing, "Well, we couldn't just show up in Denali after him; that would only tip him off and make us look even more suspicious. So we called Aro and he told us to come back, as there was no point in risking our safety just to find the information. But before we came back, we checked out the newborns in Seattle. We found 200 newborns in various warehouses, all created by Victoria."

"…And what did Victoria need them for Jazz? What aren't you telling me?"

I sighed; I did not want to scare her, but it was unavoidable, "She wants revenge darlin'. She knows you are well protected. She still thinks you are in Forks, and just hiding on the reservation. She plans to kill you, and anyone who gets in her way, be it human, wolf, or vampire."

Her fear slowly increased as the situation sunk in. I sent some calm her way, but it was futile; her shields stopped me from affecting her enough. In the end, it was Alec who calmed her, proving once again that he was her true mate,

"Isabella, it's ok. The bitch will not get even close to you; I won't allow that. You are well protected here. Don't be so scared; I will keep you safe. We all will."

Her reply was just a whisper, "But at what cost? And what about the wolves? They may be our mortal enemy, but I know everyone in the pack. Jacob was my best friend. He may be a complete ass sometimes…but he was there to piece me back together when I couldn't do it myself. And Seth…he's only 15, just a kid. If she attacks them with her army, they will all die. They are young, inexperienced; they wouldn't stand a chance. They would all die, and it would be my fault. And any of you could die too, just to protect me… I don't want that. I can't have that. I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt."

Alec hugged her even tighter still as he explained the other reason for the upcoming fight,

"It's to protect you, yes. But it is also because she is breaking the law by creating this army and not controlling her newborns. They are feeding at will. Not cleaning up their messes. Soon our existence will be revealed if this continues. So we fight. Not only to protect you, Isabella, but to also protect our secret. We will win. Casualties happen in war and battles. However, we will train so that we can avoid losing too many. Do you understand, Isabella?"

She nodded, "Yes. But…I don't want anyone to die just because of something that should have been taken care of a long time ago. She is creating the army because of me."

"No, Bella," Rosalie spoke up for the first time, "Victoria is a crazy bitch. She created the newborn army because she chose to do so. Yes, we killed James for trying to attack you, but she made the choice to create the army for revenge, not you. This is not your fault. Do you hear me?"

I decided to add onto her statement, "Besides darlin' James wasn't even her true mate. There was no love there. They were companions, nothing more. If anything she is just lonely and using the mate thing as an excuse to kill you. It gives her something to do. This is a game for her."

We watched as she processed our statements, a thoughtful look on her face. Finally, she looked at me and smiled, "Well I guess we need to start preparing to take her down then, right big brother?"

I smiled in relief, "That's exactly right Bella. We need to start working on your gifts. Will you be ready to start first thing in the morning tomorrow?"

She nodded, "Of course I will be…Jazz? How long will you guys be staying this time?"

Emmett boomed out his answer before I could, "Forever little bear! We've handed in our Cullen crests and decided to join the guard!"

* * *

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

My jaw dropped; they joined the guard? They would be around forever? I had my family and my mate for eternity, then. I couldn't help the huge grin that spread across my face,

"Really?"

They all nodded, and I squealed, hugging all of them again, jumping around in excitement, "That's great!"

They all chuckled at my exuberance, before Aro dismissed us. My family left to go clean up and freshen up, while Alec and I slowly walked up to our room, enjoying the peace that we brought one another.

Halfway there, Alec hesitantly turned to me, "I am glad your family is back here on a permanent basis, Isabella."

Sensing his hesitance, I ran the rest of the way to our room, pulling him along. I waited until the door was shut before speaking, "But?"

"It's nothing, Isabella. Just…Felix, Demitri and Jane were really hoping to be there for you as siblings too, and now that your family is back…"

I cut him off, "While I am glad they are back, Alec, that doesn't mean that I will just ignore Jane, Demitri, or Felix. I do consider them my family too. So now, not only are Emmett and Jasper my brothers, but Demitri and Felix are too. Rosalie and Alice are my sisters, and so it Jane now. I'm not replacing anyone…my family has simply expanded to give me more brothers and sisters."

He grinned, "You really mean it? It would mean the world to them. It would mean the world to me too."

His grin grew bigger as I nodded.

"You are amazing, Isabella. I love you."

"I love you too, Alec. You are everything to me. You are my mate, my lover, my best friend, and my family. I couldn't live without you. I don't want to live without you."

He pulled me closer, nuzzling his mark, "If I can help it, you won't have to."

I relaxed in his embrace, letting his presence and touch soothe me.


	21. Shield

**A/n: Hello readers! It's been a while I know, and I'm sorry. Never meant to let 2 months go by without posting! Real life has been crazy with getting ready for a new baby and working extra hours. Updates will be sporadic, some will come faster than others, but I promise I am not abandoning the story.**

 **Also, I am a new-ish writer, and I am doing this without a beta, so if you see mistakes, I'm sorry. I do try, and I read through the chapters a couple of times before I post. Also, since I've never written something like this before, writing chapters and not making them suck is a little difficult to me. So if it sucks, I'm sorry. Let me know! The only way I'll know is if constructive criticism is given. If you love it, then great! Let me know that too!**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Oh, and I don't own the Twilight series or the characters. There, it's been said.**

* * *

 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 21 – Shield**

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

"Ready?"

I looked over to my mate, standing there against the doorway waiting to take me to the training room. Once again his beauty stunned me, as the setting sun reflected off of him. The fact that he was one of the best mates a girl could ask for only added to his beauty. I would never be able to get over the fact that he was mine. I walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and nuzzling my mark before I answered.

"Yeah, but right now, I'd much rather stay here with you. Preferably naked."

He chuckled before draping an arm around my shoulder as we started walking,

"Believe me Isabella, I would only be too willing to do that. But..."

"But…" I prompted him when he paused.

He stopped, looking down at me, and stroking my cheek as he continued, "But with the looming threat we need you to train and work on controlling your gifts before the battle. And as much as I would love to be selfish and keep you all to myself, I cannot right now. I'd rather you be as thoroughly trained as possible, Isabella. The more mastery that you achieve over your gifts, the better. I cannot lose you Isabella. If you die, I will follow. At the very least, I want you to be able to protect yourself. I love you, my Isabella."

Venom pooled into my eyes as he spoke. It took me a moment to compose myself enough to answer, "I can't lose you either, Alec. Not when I just found you. You have shown me what it is to love, and to be loved. You have made me feel so incredibly special, and beautiful, and safe. I'm happier with you than I ever thought I could be. I cannot live without you, and I don't want to. I too would follow you if you didn't survive. I love you too."

He leaned down for a sweet kiss, telling me everything that words couldn't say.

When he pulled back a few minutes later he said, "Come on, Isabella. Let's go learn about controlling your shields."

I nodded in silent agreement and together we walked the rest of the way to the training room in a content silence, both of us just happy to be in the other's presence. When we arrived, everyone was already present, whispered conversations going quiet as we walked into the room.

"Isabella my dear, are you ready to work on your shields today?" Marcus asked.

I nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be, father. What do I do?"

Jasper stepped forward then, "Darlin' I'm gonna be the one to help you with that today. I trained a mental shield in Maria's army before, so I'm going to try to help you access yours."

Again I nodded, "Ok Jazz. What do I need to do?"

"Close you eyes, and relax. This may be easier than you think. Your gifts are a part of you; you just have to learn how to use them properly. Now I want you to visualize your mental shield. Imagine its color, its texture. What do you see and feel?"

I closed my eyes, searching my mind for what I needed. At first I couldn't find anything, getting more and more frustrated as the moments pass by, and I was ready to give up before suddenly it was right in front of me.

I walked up to it in my mind, observing its properties carefully before answering with my eyes still closed, "It's like this huge bubble. It's mostly clear, but it has a tinge of blue to it. It feels fluid, like it can be stretched endlessly, but at the same time; it feels like a steel wall. It's like an impenetrable barrier. And its…alive I guess is the word for it. It moves, but it stays in place at the same time. I can see and feel it pulsating."

I opened my eyes to see everyone smiling at me. Alec hugged me from behind before stepping away again.

"That's great, darlin'. That right there is your mental shield. Now, I want you to visualize that shield again, and this time I want you to try and shield someone else as well as yourself. Ok?"

"Who do I shield?"

"Felix has volunteered. You attempt to shield Felix while Jane uses her gift on him."

I gulped, "Um okay. Sorry Felix. You're my guinea pig."

Felix laughed loudly, "No problem Bella. I'm happy to help you access your shield, no matter how unpleasant it may become."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a minute, and opening them again to look at Felix. Fixing the shield firmly into my mind, I started trying to stretch it across the room to Felix. It was stubborn, not wanting to be expanded that far, and trying to keep a firm hold on me. It had nearly reached him when he began screaming, making me lose my focus.

"Sorry Felix." I apologized, feeling horrible.

"You can do it, Isabella," my mate encouraged.

I flashed him a smile, "Thanks."

Jasper jumped in with his own encouragement, "Ok darlin' that was a good first try. Don't get so discouraged. Now, you were concentrating awfully hard on that attempt. You shouldn't need to. Your gift is only an extension of you. What were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to get it to expand to Felix too. But it resisted too much."

He nodded, "Ok. We are going to try again, but this time, I want you to try something different. The shield I worked with before was actually able to peel off really small chunks of his mental shield and send them to whomever he needed to."

"Did he ever get those chunks back?" I asked.

"Yes, darlin', he did. He sent the chunks of his shield out before battle, and then recalled them after the battle. Can you try that?"

I nodded my agreement while my mind went through the information, making a plan of my own. I didn't know how big of a chunk I would need to shield someone else, so I would start with the smallest of pieces. I would build them up until I found the right amount and then commit it to memory.

I visualized my shield again, and reached up to take a small chunk out of it, expecting it to protest. Surprised at the ease of which my mental shield released that chunk to me, I mentally threw it onto Felix just as Jane used her gift on him again.

This time he only gave a pained groan, "It still hurts, but it's a lot more bearable than it was before."

"Keep at it Jane," Jasper commanded, turning to look at me,

"Now what are you going to do, darlin'?"

Instead of answering, I mentally threw another tiny piece at him, and another, until he could stand up straight again.

"That's much better. It's not painful anymore. It's not even annoying. It's like I know what she's trying to do, but I'm not feeling the effects. You did it, Bella."

"Stop now, Jane," Jasper ordered.

"Now what?" I asked, slightly worried about the smiles growing on everyone's faces.

"Now darlin', we need you to work on shielding as many people as possible. We'll add one extra person at a time, until you can shield everyone in this room against both Jane's and Alec's gifts."

"Ok. I think I have a good grip on it now. Who are we adding first?"

"Me! You are adding me!" Alice proclaimed before Jasper could answer, "Please Jazz? I'll be fine."

He stared at her for a moment before nodding his assent, "If that's what you want, Ally."

"Yay!" she shouted, jumping up and landing next to me. "You'll be great, Bella!"

I nodded nervously. I certainly hoped that she was right.

In the end, I found that once I had successfully shielded Felix, and then Alice, my confidence grew and I found it easy to shield however many people I needed to, and at any distance. Jasper sent me the pride of everyone in the room after this last attempt, making me grin wider than I thought possible.

I was passed around the room in celebratory hugs,

"Congratulations, sis. You mastered your mental shield faster than expected. I'm so proud of you Baby Bells."

"You did it darlin'. I knew you could. You just needed to have faith in yourself. I'm proud of you."

"Isabella, my daughter, you did well, better than expected. You must be proud of your achievements."

"I always knew you'd be amazing, Bella. Even though your fashion sense is still something that needs improvement."

"Isabella, my mate. You were amazing. I'm so incredibly proud of you and amazed by you."

I smiled widely at Alec's statement, happy that I made him proud. It was nearly ten minutes before everyone resembled a calm demeanor again, waiting for the next phase of my training.

Jasper gave me one last hug before speaking again, "Now, we can master your physical shield. It should be easier because you have already mastered your mental shield, and now know how to access it. What do you see when you visualize this one, darlin'?"

I closed my eyes again, finding it within seconds, "It's an impenetrable wall. Like it's made of the strongest metals. It's visible, but only to me. Its walls surround me on all sides. When I push on one of the walls, it moves easily, and its like it's waiting for my command."

The door suddenly opened, and I looked up to see Emmett bringing in mannequins with pictures of Edward's face on them, and placing them across the room. _Creepy._

"Um…"

Jasper answered my unspoken question, "These darlin' are your first practice. I want you to send the shield toward them, as hard as you can, so that we can see how strong it is."

I nodded and turned back towards the mannequins, concentrating. My shield responded immediately to my will, smashing into the mannequins, reducing them to dust.

I stared at the area for a few seconds before muttering, "Wow."

"Wow is right. That is a strong shield. Imagine if she sent that at the enemy." Aro said.

"Well, it would pulverize a good number of them, for sure," I responded. "Now that the mannequin dummies are truly useless, what now?"

"Now we are going to try and attack you. I want you to use your shield to stop us and push us away with your shield, without turning us to dust in the process. Ready?"

I nodded hesitantly, and they came at me two or three at a time. It took me a few tries to get it right. At first I was too gentle with it, and the shield only stopped them for a few seconds. I gradually increased the strength, and it was an hour before I was finally able to push them back and knock them down.

"Now what, Jazz?"

"Now darlin', we rest. You've worked hard today. I can feel your thirst, even though you have a higher threshold than me. You need to hunt. Humans, because it makes you stronger. Tomorrow we will work on your physical shield more. I'll have some newborns in the room. It will be your job Bella to use your physical shield to protect us, and to attack them."


	22. Elemental

**A/N: Hello readers It's been a while, I know. Real life has taken over, with learning how to manage my gestational diabetes. Also, I developed a condition called Bells Palsy. One of the symptoms is teary eyes, which get in the way of EVERYTHING. Bright lights, looking at electronics makes it worse so it's been hard for me to get more than a few sentences into a document at a time. Please bear with me.**

 **So this chapter, it may have been seen before, or it may not be to your taste, but I wanted a way for Bella to already know the coven introduced in this chapter somehow, and this is what I came up with.**

 **Thanks to all who have followed/favorited/reviewed!**

* * *

 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 22 – Elemental**

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

"You did amazing Isabella. How do you feel?"

I had just gotten done learning how to use my shields. We were half running, half walking to the next town for our hunt, deciding to take our time, and enjoying the peace of being alone together.

"I feel…mentally exhausted. Physically, I'm a ball of energy. But mentally, I really just want to turn off my brain for a few hours. I was nervous at first, Alec. I wasn't sure what to expect. But it helped that all of you were there to help me and encourage me."

"Are you that nervous about learning to control your elemental abilities next?"

"Yeah. It's more complex than my shields, I think. I do want to explore this gift, though. I'm wondering if I can control the elements to the point where maybe I could control the atmosphere and weather. But I don't know if I'll be able to do much very quickly. What if I really struggle with it?"

"Then you struggle. It's not uncommon, and it wouldn't be your fault. Some vampires struggle with their gifts at first."

"I just don't want to disappoint anyone. Everyone has such high hopes for me…"

He cut me off, "Isabella. _None_ of us will be disappointed. I promise. You mastered your shields much faster than we expected. So if your elemental ability takes longer to master, then that's ok. We could _never_ be disappointed in you for trying your best. We have faith in you. _I_ have faith in you."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm being silly, aren't I?"

He stopped in his tracks, turning to face me, "No, you aren't. I'm glad you are telling me about your fears. Just remember that I love you, no matter what."

We started running again as I replied, "You're right. I love you too. Let's hunt. I've never been quite this thirsty before."

"That's because using your gifts takes energy. The blood we drink gives us that energy. "

"That makes more sense now."

We stopped once again, reaching the city. I could hardly hold in my excitement at hunting. It was always a fun experience with my mate. Of course, the post hunt sex was always fantastic.

It didn't take us long to hunt down our victims and drain them. Alec watched me with dark eyes as I finished my latest kill, stalking towards me as I slowed down my drinking. He backed me up into a wall before he spoke,

"I always enjoy watching you feed, Isabella. If only we had time for me to show you just how much. And believe me, when we do have the free time and a moment alone again, I will show you exactly what you do to me."

I tried to convince him otherwise, "Why not now? I'm sure everyone would understand."

"Hmm yes, that is true. However, we did agree to be in the throne room at dawn, and it will take nearly that long to run back. Aro is having a guest there and we have to be there to greet them. Being late would make Aro look bad, not to mention the rest of the Volturi."

"A guest? Do you know who?"

"Actually, I do. His name is Benjamin, and he will be arriving with his coven at that time. Benjamin also has the gift of controlling the elements. So he will help you learn about yours."

"Oh. Will you be there, when he teaches me?"

"Perhaps. But maybe you may do better without any of us there while you learn. So that you don't feel any pressure, like you did with your shields."

"I didn't…"

He cut me off again, "Yes, you did. You are my mate, so through our bond I could tell exactly what you were feeling. You wanted to do really well, to make us all proud of you. You became frustrated and tried too hard at first. So hard it took work for you to focus on it."

"Oh… So you're saying that I should try to learn how to control my elemental abilities with just Benjamin and me in the vicinity?"

"Exactly."

"I'll be alone with another male. Wouldn't that bug you? It's extremely difficult for me to see other females around you sometimes."

He smiled down at me, "I'll be fine. I trust you. Besides, while I may not be in the vicinity, I'll always be close by, just in case you need me. Also, Benjamin is already mated, so I won't need to worry. Now, shall we head back now love?"

I nodded, and together we ran, side by side, just barely making it to the throne room in time.

We walked in, taking our positions, and waited in a comfortable silence for our guests to arrive. I was curious about Benjamin, the one who is supposed to teach me, but also nervous. Would he be as patient as all of my other teachers have been? Or would he get frustrated with me easily? My questions were answered as the doors opened and our guests walked in, heading straight for Aro, who was already standing in the center of the room.

"Welcome to Volterra, my friends! I trust that your travels were as pleasant as possible?"

"Of course, Aro. Thank you for allowing us to use your private jet. It made our travels much easier." The coven leader spoke.

"Anytime my friend. It's the least that I can do, especially since you came as a favor to me."

I stood there in shock as I got a good look at our visitors, as they talked, barely able to believe my eyes, even though I had perfect, enhanced vision. I couldn't help the grin that spread on my face as I realized that this Benjamin was one that I already knew.

Alec sensed my excitement and gave me a questioning glance. I shook my head at him; he'd find out soon anyway. My thoughts were interrupted as Aro turned to me.

"Isabella my dear, why don't you come over and meet my dear friends from the Egyptian coven."

I stepped forward eagerly, hoping they'd remember me. I did look a little different, after all.

Aro gave a small smile at my excitement, "My friends, this is the newborn with elemental abilities. She needs training. This is Isabella, Alec's mate."

A brief silence entered the cavernous room as our visitors stared at me in awe, shock, and happiness. So they did recognize me.

Suddenly I was wrapped in tight embrace as Ben hugged me, "Little Bird! You've grown so much since we last saw you! You were such a small child."

I laughed as I hugged him back, "Yes! I was only eight then, wasn't I? You guys are vampires! I can't believe it."

Ben set me down with a chuckle, "Yes, you were quite young. Now it appears that you are a vampire and mated. And you have an elemental ability! I always knew you were special. We have missed you, Little Bird."

Alec suddenly hugged me from behind, a possessive growl escaping. I smiled and turned to nuzzle my mark on his neck, "It's ok Alec. I'm yours. Always."

He nuzzled his mark on my neck in return, "I know. I just can't help it. How do you know Benjamin already?"

There was a possessive quality in his tone, a slight warning to the other male. I began explaining immediately, not wanting to be the cause of any possible conflict between the two. The others in the room looked on in curiosity.

"Oh! Well when I was eight, my mom decided that a vacation in Egypt was a good idea. But most of the time she had left me to fend for myself at the hotel while she went out with her new boyfriend. One night I was really hungry and I had run out of food to eat; she had been gone for a few days. I stole money from her purse, she left it behind, and I went out to find something to eat. But before I found some proper food, a bag was put over my head, and I was tossed into a van…I only remember screaming for my mother after that."

Benjamin took over, "I was out hunting my next meal when I came across two men and a little girl. One was holding the little girl down and gagging her, and the other was getting ready to rape her. She passed out before they could. That little girl was Isabella. I killed the men, disposed of their bodies and then I picked up Isabella and carried her home. When she woke up, we fed her and gave her warmer clothes. And when she told us her mom had been gone for a few days, we took her back to her hotel room but at least one of us stayed with her until her mother came back eight days later. We had told her what happened. We watched over the both of them until they left for home."

"And now I find out that you all were vampires. I'm glad you'll be teaching me, Ben. I've missed all of you."

Alec held me tighter, running his hands all over my body as if checking for injury. He had grown increasingly more agitated as we told the story.

"Alec, I'm ok, I promise. I'm perfectly safe right here. Benjamin saved me that night. And his family made sure I was properly looked after until and even after my mother came back to me. They kept me fed, clothed. They kept me alive."

My mate merely nodded, taking a deep breath, inhaling my scent to calm himself.

"Did your mother ever become more responsible, Little Bird? We all worried over leaving you back in her care, and were tempted to keep you with us, and change you when you were old enough."

I snorted, "No, she was actually worse. I was always left home alone. She often forgot to pick me up from school so I had to walk home a few miles. When I was twelve, I landed a few babysitting jobs, and worked so that there was enough to eat. And…she also blamed me for ruining her fun in Egypt. She told me that I shouldn't have gone out no matter how hungry I was, and that I should have just waited until she got back."

Alec's hold tightened, "Perhaps I should have a little chat with her. But I thought you said your parents sacrificed a lot for you, both of them."

"It's true they both sacrificed a lot for me. They had me right before high school graduation. They had to give up their dreams to raise me. At first, she was the best mother, making sacrifice after sacrifice. But eventually, she ended up resenting me and blamed me for ruining her life. She once told me she should have aborted me. But it's ok. She cares in her own way. She is just irresponsible and selfish. Besides, I have you now, and my family here. We won't ever have to deal with her."

"I suppose. You will never be rejected by any of us, Isabella."

I grinned, "I know." I turned to Ben, "So, where and when do we start?"

Ben chuckled, "Now, if you like. Come and take a walk with me. Alec, you can come along too if you like. I know you probably need to be touching her as much as possible right now. Also, today we will just talk about your ability. Tomorrow, we begin to practice."

At my eager nod, the three of us walked from the throne room to the inner gardens in the courtyard. We strolled for a few minutes before I broke the silence.

"Is it difficult? Learning to control the elements?"

Ben considered the answer for a moment before saying, "It can be, at first. I didn't have anyone to teach me how to control my gift, so I had to learn on my own. However, it may be easier for you because I can teach you, if you are willing to learn."

"Of course I am."

He grinned at me, "Controlling the elements is a tricky task. You'll need to learn to control how much power you give into it when you wield the elements. For example, you need less power to simply start a campfire. However, you need to use a lot of power to create a burning pit across a field. Does that make sense so far?"

He continued at my nod, "Once you learn the basics of controlling the elements, with practice you'll be able to control the atmosphere, or even control the bodies of humans, as their bodies are 70% water."

"I can't wait. But I'm wondering…when I'm hunting in the forest, I can sense a human ten miles away from me. I can't smell them, or see them, or even hear them, but I can tell that they are there and even what they are doing. The first time it happened was my first hunt. It was like I felt vibrations in the earth when the knowledge comes to me. Does that have anything to do with my elemental abilities?"

Ben beamed at me, nodding eagerly. "Yes, actually I believe it does. It's only a theory, but I believe that those who can control the elements have a special affinity for one of the elements over the others. Like I have a special affinity with water. I can tell you exactly how large a body of water is, how many of what kind of creature it contains, and so on. You, Little Bird, seem to have a special affinity with earth. That means it may be easier for you to learn how to control first."

"Wow. So is that where we are starting from then?"

"Yes. It is. After that, I'll move you on to water, then air, then fire."

I nodded, "That sounds okay. When do we start?"

"A couple mornings from now, we will meet here and go into the forest for your first lesson. After hearing about your night learning to control your shields, you'll need a break. Elements will take a lot out of you at first. Also, I do believe that your dear Alec would love to get you alone as soon as possible." He winked as he said the last part.

"Yes please."

I laughed at Alec's eagerness before responding, "Ok. Thanks, Ben. I'll see you in a couple of days. Let me show you to your rooms?"

We ran into the forest after dropping Benjamin off, eager to hunt together and be alone again, with nothing but the forest to bother us.


	23. Progress

**Hello readers! It's been an awfully long time since I've posted. I've been recovering from a few things. I had my baby in a traumatic delivery due to a placental abruption and postpartum hemorrhaging. I actually needed a transfusion, and would have died without it. Also, baby had to spend time in the NICU before they let her come home. My Bells Palsy is starting to clear up, so now I can stare at a computer for a decent time without too much trouble. I'm so glad I am able to write chapters again, and get them posted. Not long to go in this story. I estimate there will be maybe...29 or 30 chapters total.**

 **I had a hard time with this chapter. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I'm calling it good enough, because I wrote and rewrote it and rewrote it again. Just couldn't produce something I liked. Hopefully its not too bad.**

 **Thank you to all my followers, reviewers, and favoriters. You give me the motivation to keep going.**

* * *

 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 23 – Progress**

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

Learning to control my elemental ability was more difficult and took me longer than I had hoped. In the end it took me nearly two weeks to master even the basics of each element, doing simple things like making a gentle breeze flow or taking water from a cup to form it into a ball in my hand. Sometimes my frustration levels became too high and only Alec could calm me as my mate.

I mastered the earth element easily enough, but Ben says that it's because I have a special affinity for it. It wasn't difficult for me to make the dirt swirl in my hand, or to make loose dirt form into a hard ball.

The frustration kicked in when I discovered that the other three elements weren't nearly as easy for me to learn. Even though Alec only hovered slightly in the background, and I didn't really have an audience this time, I still felt the pressure to master my gifts as quickly as possible. With the threat Edward out there doing who knows what, and Victoria building a newborn army to kill me, I felt the need to do better than I was. So when I would fail at a basic task…again…my temper would flare out of control and Alec would have to come and help me calm down and focus again.

Then we moved on to defense training. Ben would throw light attacks at me, or sometimes others at random, and I had to learn to counter and deflect them. If I thought that the basic stuff was hard, then I had never been more wrong. I had to learn to conjure up water if he threw fire at me. I had to use air to deflect attacks he made with wind. I drew up walls of earth to block out attacks made by any of the elements. The list goes on.

Alec was a nervous wreck the entire time I was learning how to use the elements to defend myself, and others. Sometimes he had to be held back from ripping Ben to pieces because I didn't manage to pull up a good defense, and a couple of the attacks hit me.

One month, and many tantrums later, I was finally ready to learn how to use the elements to attack an opponent. Alec and I were walking to a meadow that Ben had picked out, miles from Volterra, where I would learn the rest of his elemental lessons. We walked in mutual silence; I was lost in my own thoughts, and Alec was just content to be with me. We hadn't had much time alone lately.

Although I've come really far in my lessons, I still felt like I could have done better, learned faster. I knew that everyone thought I was making progress at a good pace, and told me so often, but I still felt like I wasn't making progress fast enough. Not with the upcoming battle, whenever that would be. I couldn't be the one who needed protecting anymore. I wanted to be useful this time, instead of a liability. Victoria could attack at any moment, whether that was tomorrow or next year. We just didn't know. And Edward was an unknown entity; we had no idea what he was planning. Either way, I was determined to have full control of my abilities as soon as possible.

"Are you nervous?" Alec asked me, wrapping his arm around my waist. As always, he knew when something was bothering me; there was never any use in hiding it.

"Yes…and no. Ben says that since I learned how to deflect and counter attacks using the elements proficiently, then I should be able to pick up using them to attack easily enough since the skills I'll need are very similar to the skills I use for defense. I'm kind of excited for that…I just feel like it shouldn't have taken me so long to get to this point. All those times I failed to master the basics…I hated not making progress faster. I feel like I've let people down taking so long."

"You haven't though. You have made amazing progress, my love."

"I know. Everyone tells me so."

"Then what is making you feel this way?"

"I'm scared, Alec. Edward is an unknown entity, as far as what he is up to. We have no idea when Victoria will attack. Sure we have our spies out there, but she may be anticipating that, and for all we know, any verbal communication that is witnessed could be a fake plan. If Victoria laid false information, the result of relying on it could be disastrous. I know that my gifts could make everything easier. Fewer casualties. I just wish I automatically knew how to control my gifts. But I don't. So I'm training as hard as I can to learn. I just feel like the sooner I master my abilities, the better. And my elemental ability is proving extremely difficult, and it frustrates me."

"That's understandable. But you need to remember that there are many seasoned warriors on our side, all trained fighters. Major Whitlock is one of them. The rest of us are trained as well. And there are also the other gifts on our side. You have excellent control of your shields, which will give us the advantage even without your other gifts."

I thought about it for a second, "You're right Alec. I'm sorry. I'm not underestimating anyone else in our coven, at least that's not my intent. I'm just scared to lose anyone, especially you. So I want to be as strong and as prepared as possible when we go into battle."

"And so you will be," he replied as we came to a stop. He gestured towards the meadow, "Your teacher awaits. I will be right here, my love. Good luck."

I kissed him lightly before leaving him by the trees before walking towards Ben in the middle of the field.

"Hi, Ben. Were you waiting long?"

He shook his head, "Are you ready Little Bird?"

"As I'll ever be. What do I do?"

Day turned to night and back to day again as I learned how to make the earth split open, and conjure fire essentially creating a pit to throw bodies in. I learned how to make small bullets from the earth and cover them in fire before throwing them at practice dummies. I learned just what I could do with the air, from using the wind to fly, to making nearly invisible blades of wind that were strong enough to cut through vampire flesh. The poor trees and boulders around us were cut down as a substitute.

Eventually I became too mentally exhausted and too thirsty to continue.

"Ben, I need to hunt. And I need a break. Can we pause this for the day and meet again tomorrow?"

He shook his head grinning, "That's not necessary. You're done."

"…What?"

"You've learned all I can teach you, at least when it comes to fighting. Everything else you'll need to figure out on your own."

"Wait, really? I really did it?"

Ben chuckled, "Yes, Little Bird. You worked so hard, and it's paid off. You now know everything I can teach you. All you need to do is practice."

"How will I know if I am ready to use my elemental ability in a fight?"

I felt Alec wrap his arms around me and Ben answered, "After you get enough practice in on your own, you will be fine. You will be ready for battle once you can control the elements without even trying. And that only comes with practice."

"Makes sense." I threw my arms around my old friend, "Thank you Ben. I couldn't have learned all this without you."

"It was my pleasure, Little Bird. Now go hunt, you really need to quench your thirst and rest for a couple of days. I will go report to Aro that your training is done, and then we will go home, until we are needed for battle."

As he disappeared into the trees I turned to face my mate, a silly grin on my face, "I did it Alec. I learned how to attack without too much trouble. I learned to control the elements."

He nodded, "I knew you could do it. How do you feel?"

"Thirsty. I'm thirstier than I've ever been. I might need more than one human to fully satisfy it this time. But I also feel…insanely happy. Proud. Accomplished. And I also feel really excited that I have to rest over the next couple of days as ordered. I want those two days completely uninterrupted with you."

He chuckled slightly, "And so it shall be, Isabella. There is a city nearby. Let's go hunt, and then we can lock ourselves in our room for a couple of days, where I will show you just how much I've missed you. You deserve a couple days of peace. And stress relief, in the form of non-stop sex."

"I'm holding you to that, you know."

Night fell before we entered our bedroom through our window, locking the door and pulling the curtains, where Alec wasted no time in showing me just how much he missed me and how proud he was of me.


	24. On-My-Own

_**A/N: Hello readers! Its been about...4 months I think? Life with 2 small children is A LOT busier than I ever thought it could be. Baby is still on oxygen, but I'm just glad she's alive! I've had the most horrible writer's block, and am not too proud of this chapter, but my reader deserve an update! As always, read and review! Until next time!**_

* * *

 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 24 – I Can See Now**

 _ **Bella**_

Another month has passed since my last day of training with Ben. Alec and I ended up losing track of time and holed up in our room making love for a week instead of a couple of days. We only came out when Jasper banged on our door, begging us to take a break from the non-stop sex.

When we reluctantly dressed and made our way out, Jasper told us that the amount of lust we were producing had affected him so much that he ended up projecting it on to the entire castle, and so no one could get anything done as they were too busy with their mates, or if they didn't have one, pairing up or just going solo. Jasper had ended up running out of the castle until he couldn't feel us anymore after a few days. Eventually though he had to come back, and had decided he wasn't above begging us to stop.

Later that same day, Alec was sent out on a mission to deal with a couple of renegades who were threatening to expose our world to the humans. The mission was taking longer than anyone thought it would, as his target seemed to be better than the average vampire at disappearing in times of trouble. The separation hurt more than I expected, but there wasn't much I could do about it, besides distracting myself.

So I spent the last few weeks alone, practicing with my elemental gift whenever possible. I had decided to not try to do anything fancy with the gift until after the battle blew over. Instead I practiced attacking with newborns that had been confiscated from a southern army. I surprised Aro one day when I used the air to make him fly across the throne room, much to everyone's amusement. I practiced conjuring fire, and even took it up a step and gained control over the temperature at which it burned. I could make it feel cool and merely tickle the person it surrounded, or I could increase the heat and turn a person into ash in just a few seconds. I knew Alec would love to hear about that improvement, and I couldn't wait to tell him.

After a couple of weeks, it became much easier to use the elements however I wanted to, and soon enough I wasn't even thinking about it or having to concentrate much at all. All I had to do was think about what I wanted and it happened.

Today I found myself in the library trying to focus on a book. The problem, though, was that I couldn't focus on it. For the first time in my life, a book I enjoyed failed to keep my attention. I couldn't help it, though.

No one had mentioned anything about working on my magnifying gift, and when I asked Aro about it, he told me that it was something I'd have to learn on my own this time. No one else knew much of anything about the gift, not even Eleazar, and so no one could technically teach me how to use it.

Marcus gave me unlimited access to the archives to help my research on the subject, hoping that there would be some record of information on the gift that might help me. After days of searching, sometimes with help from others, no such record was found, and I truly was on my own for this one.

So instead of enjoying the book as planned, I sat there to think about the gift. Deciding to start with the most basic of things, I decided to think about what it might mean to magnify, and how I could use those meanings to implement my gift to another's. I was so concentrated on my thoughts, that I didn't notice when Jasper came in and watched me until he startled me by speaking.

"Hey darlin', what are you thinking so hard about?"

 _Oops. I'm supposed to be aware of my surroundings at all times._

"Oh. Hey Jasper. How long have you been here?"

He chuckles quietly, "A few hours. I can't believe you didn't notice me here. So what was taking up so much of your mind that you couldn't sense my presence?"

"Honestly? My gift to magnify other's gifts. Since I found nothing in the archives, and nobody knows of anyone who can tell me or teach me about it, I'm kind of having to figure it out on my own."

"Have you come up with anything yet?"

"Well, not exactly. I've mostly just gone back to the basics, like the meaning of what it means to magnify in general. And then I've been thinking of ways to apply my gift using that meaning."

He came into the library further, sitting down in front of me on the opposite couch, "And what have you come up with so far?"

"Well…loosely translated, to magnify also means to enhance, to expand, to intensify, to strengthen, to maximize, to amplify, to boost, to increase, and so on. Based on that, my ability to magnify a gift would mean to make it better, stronger somehow. So I was thinking that maybe having my gift of magnification meant that I could take whatever weakness a certain gift has, and essentially lessen that weakness if not temporarily erase it altogether. Does that make sense?"

He nodded, "In a way. It's definitely a good way to look at it. So you are saying for example, with Aro's gift, you may be able to make it so that he doesn't need physical contact to do the same thing, if only temporarily. Right?"

I grinned happily, "Yes, exactly something like that. I'm glad I'm making sense. I think we need to test the theory out to be sure though. Just need to pick which gifted member to try it out on."

"I don't think that mine qualifies. Some gifts, if you magnify certain parts of them, it would do more harm to the vampire with the gift than good. My gift's weakness is that feeling people's emotions on top of my own becomes overwhelming, and I have never been able to completely block them out. If you magnify my gift, it may only strengthen that part where I can feel emotions, and then it would become too much for me. Make sense?"

I nodded, "Then who? I want to keep this theory as much of a secret as possible, until we know if we are on the right track. Aro would have to know, of course; since he'll read your mind anyway…He may be a good candidate to try it out on eventually. I just want to test it on someone else before I get him excited about it. You know how Aro is. He's optimistic to a fault. I'd ask Alec to volunteer but…"

"But what?"

I whipped around as I heard my mate's voice, grinning widely as I squealed and threw myself into his arms. He laughed as he caught me, spinning me around once before kissing me soundly.

"I've missed you too, Isabella," he said, sitting in my previous spot on the couch with me in his lap. "Now what would you ask me to volunteer for?"

"Well first, how much did you hear?"

"Just the last bit. You need a gifted guard member to test your gift on, correct?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Would you help me?"

"Of course, you don't even have to ask. What do I need to do?"

"Well…what's a weakness that your gift has? What would really help it to be more effective?"

He thought about it for a minute, "Well, my gift could stand to affect a bigger crowd, but that may just be my ego talking. I cannot choose which senses I cut off. Its biggest weakness would have to be the amount of time it takes me to build it up. In battle, the others have to protect me so that I can focus on building up my gift so that I can send it out."

"How long does it normally take?"

"About ten minutes, give or take a minute or two. It needs my full concentration to do. So if you can somehow make it so that it doesn't take as long, I could build it up faster and wouldn't need protecting as long."

I nuzzled into his neck as I thought it over, deciding I should try to cover both weaknesses. I turned to my brother, "What do you think, Jasper? Would you volunteer to be under Alec's gift?"

Jasper nodded, "That won't be a problem, darlin'. Being able to build up his mist faster would definitely put us at an advantage in the battle. However, if you want to test the true effectiveness of his gift once its been magnified, you may need a group instead of just one person, the bigger the group the better. But you want to keep it a secret for now, so I don't know if we should test out Alec's gift yet."

I frowned, "Then who?"

"I have an idea love. Why don't you use it on Aro, without telling him about your theory yet? If it works, we'll know."

"But won't that be overwhelming and sudden for him? To go from hearing nothing without physical contact to one person, to hearing everything from everyone at once with no control over it? He might go crazy and freak out at first. I'd rather he have prior warning."

"You could try Alice too, darlin'. You know the limitations of her gift. Maybe you can make it so that she can choose what she sees with her gift."

At my look of confusion, he elaborated, "I mean that maybe you could make it so that she doesn't need to depend on when someone makes a decision. Edward knows how to get around her gift by never truly deciding. She's been having a hard time seeing anything concerning his plans, Victoria's plans, and when the battle will be. So if you can temporarily erase that weakness, we'd be able to plan better."

"You mean I should try to make it so that the future she sees is absolute, no matter how many times decisions are changed."

"That's right darlin'."

I nodded my head, "I'll try. Um, let me go hunt first so I'm at full strength. Can we meet tonight? Back here?"

At Jasper's nod, Alec stood with me, "I'll go with you. I've already reported to Aro after I got back, and haven't had a chance to feed yet."

"Ok. I'll see you later Jasper."

As I walked out I heard his reply, "Until later darlin'. I'll go fill Alice in on everything while you are gone."


	25. Test

**_Hello readers! So sorry I haven't updated in a while! Real life has been crazy to say the least, and I've been going through some medical tests to figure out whats wrong with me. Between my children and all of the testing, I've had no energy to read fanfiction much less write it. But testing is over for now and I'm back. Hopefully with faster updates._**

 ** _Not too many chapters left, maybe about 5 or 6 overall. I don't know if I'm 100% happy with this chapter. It was written in the middle of the night when I was half asleep. I've read through it and since I can't think of a way to make it much better, decided it could be worse. Hope you like it. If not, let me know how to improve and I'll try._**

 _ **Ok readers, I need opinions. Do you want a wedding to happen or no? Let me know in reviews, private messages, or I will try to set up a poll on my profile page. I'll take a tally for 2 weeks.**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed my story. It means a lot.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Do not own Twilight series or its characters. I only like to play with them.**_

* * *

 **Il Mio Amore**

 **Chapter 25 – Test**

 _ **Bella's POV:**_

Three weeks had been too long, for either of us. Hours after leaving Jasper to go hunt together, I found myself seated in Alec's lap in the woods, completely boneless and fully sated. I was also thirsty again.

We had taken our time hunting, carefully selecting our victims, and sharing our meals so that we didn't have to let go of each other. When we were finally fully sated, we started walking back to the castle, just enjoying being together.

I had begun to tell him about my practice with my elemental control, making him laugh in some parts and cringe at other parts. I had just finished telling him about my newfound skills with wielding the fire element, when I was suddenly pushed up against a tree, and his hands were reaching, groping wherever they could and he was kissing me with a hunger that he hadn't before.

He had spent nearly the last hour teasing me, bringing me to the edge over and over again, and except for a couple of the times; he pulled back before my orgasm reached its peak. I needed him more with each time he pulled back. He played my body like it was a finely tuned instrument, and he was its master. And in a way, he was. He knew exactly what to do, where to touch, and when to get the exact responses he wanted. And like any good instrument, I gave him the responses he wanted.

It wasn't until I had begged him had he finally taken me, rougher than ever against a tree, biting down on his mating mark harder than he ever had before, as we came together. Needless to say, the tree did not survive.

He sat on the ground, pulling me into his lap and nuzzling the fresh mark, making sure to lick up seeping venom as the mark closed.

He kept his face nuzzled firmly into my neck as he asked, "Did I hurt you too much?"

I shook my head, "No. That was great."

He continued on as if he hadn't heard me, "I didn't mean to be that rough with you. I've never bitten my mark on you so hard before. It's just that going three weeks without you, and then coming into the library to see you alone with Jasper, and then hearing about your progress with the fire made me crazy with need for you, and when I was already eager to make love with you again…and I know Jasper will only ever be a brother to you, but…"

I cut him off, "I understand. Your mating instincts were already going crazy and you only saw me alone with a male. At that point you didn't fully register that it was only my brother. Alec, baby, I'm not complaining. I _really_ enjoyed that, even though the teasing was absolute torture in the _best_ of ways. It's ok if you are rough with me sometimes, if you lose control like that. If you were hurting me, I would have told you."

He peeked a glance at me before nuzzling into my neck again. "Promise?"

"I promise. And if you prefer, I'll do my best to avoid being alone with other males. I can try and make sure you or another female is there as well. Would that help you feel better?"

He shook his head, "I won't ask you to do that Isabella. I trust you, and I trust that you are only mine, just as I am only yours."

I sighed in contentment, with just a hint of relief, "Ok. I missed you. It was almost unbearable being away from you for so long. How did your mission go?"

"I almost couldn't finish it. The pull was becoming too painful. I was ready to call Aro and say I needed help when I caught up to the nomad. It was pure chance, really. He was feeding in an alley and therefore distracted, so he didn't notice my presence until it was too late. I should have fed after, as I usually do, but I was too eager to finally come home to you. Aro has agreed that our mating bond is still too new for me to go on another long distance mission without you, yet."

"So are you taking a break from missions then?"

He shook his head, "Your training is advanced enough that you should be fine to come with me on missions. Once we have your gift of magnification under control, if it can indeed lessen or eliminate my gift's weakness temporarily, it would make missions easier anyway."

"Speaking of which… after this, we should go feed again. We both probably used up a lot of our reserves just now. Let's go feed again, and then meet my dear siblings so that we can test my theory out."

"Can I be there for your attempt?"

I looked at him like he had grown a third head, "Of course you can. You don't need to ask. You've been away for three weeks. I'm not letting you out of my sight for a while."

An hour later we found ourselves in our room, with Alice sitting on the bed in front of me. She was eagerly bouncing in place, excited to be able to see more. I smiled slightly at her; she always has been optimistic.

"Don't get your hopes up Alice. It's just a theory. I don't know if I can do it."

"I have faith Bella. You've got this. Just do what you did with your other gifts. Take a breath, close your eyes and search for it within your mind."

I reached across for her hands as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I really didn't know what to do for this. How would I find the gift in my mind? It took me a few minutes before the answer came.

Taking another deep breath, I just thought of what I wanted to do. What I wanted to happen, as if I could _will_ it to happen. I wanted for Alice to have a clear, unchanging vision of not only Victoria's plans, but also of Edward's. I wanted her to see a definite future, regardless of any decision that is made or changed. I pushed my willpower in her direction, in hopes that I got it right.

Her sudden gasp set me on edge; I had no idea if it was because my attempt worked, or because she simply felt the power I sent her way. I opened my eyes slowly to stare at her as she was sucked into a vision. Would it be as clear as we hoped it would be?

"Jazz?" I whispered, "What are you getting from her?"

"Wonder, happiness, and excitement. But she's also agitated by what she is seeing. Her agitation is getting worse by the second."

I gripped her hands a little tighter, as we waited for her to come out of her vision.

It felt like hours later when she finally came back to us, smiling brightly at me.

"What did you see, Alice?" I asked.

"It worked Bella. It worked. Even when I searched for any possible different decision that could be made, the original vision never changed. I know what is going to happen now, all thanks to you. We can be much better prepared. Can we reveal your thoughts about your gift to Aro and the others now? If it worked for me, it'll work for anyone else."

I hesitated, unsure until I felt Alec wrap his arms around me, "It'll be alright, Isabella. Alice is right, if it worked on her, it'll work on others. If we tell the others now, we can test mine, and Jane's and possibly even Demetri's gift. Besides, our masters need to know what Alice has seen. In order to do that, we would have to reveal what your theory was."

I nodded after a few seconds, "You're right. I'm just nervous that it won't work a second time. I want to test it with your gift next baby. Let's go tell Aro about the vision."

We found Aro in his office around the corner from the throne room. He took Alice's offered hand, his eyes lighting up as he saw the events of the last few hours.

Dropping her hand he looked over at me, "My dear Isabella, you have figured out your gift. This is splendid! Because now not only have you learned yet another gift, but now we know exactly what will happen with Edward and Victoria, and when. We shall have to test your gift with a few others, but first I must confer with my brothers, the Major, and his mate, and begin making plans."

I nodded happily, while Alec smiled down at me, pride in his eyes, "You truly are amazing Isabella. Come with me, my mate. I need you alone."

"Go on dear. Catch up with one another. It's been weeks since you've truly been alone together for any proper length of time. We will summon you both when it comes time to test more of your magnification gift."

I nodded, knowing what "catch up" meant. I'd be blushing profusely if I were still human. I took Alec's hand as we walked up to our room together, both of us grinning hugely at my success.

It was days before we were summoned again, for a strategy meeting. We made our way anxiously to the throne room, both eager to hear about Alice's vision and our plan for battle. We both knew that now we knew the right details, we could plan a win without fail.


End file.
